Tara Draper Photography

I usually don’t post my travels on my blog, but this trip was too picturesque and too amazing not to:) A weekend getaway to San Francisco and Sonoma for my friend Alise’s bachelorette party, I took it upon myself to document the entire trip, the five wine tasting’s and all! When I left Wisconsin on that Friday, it was sleeting, and was still winter in my mind. It was awesome to arrive in San Fran to 80 degree temps with everything blooming and the warm breezes. When we met the rest of the girls at our vineyard estate in Sonoma, I knew this trip was going to be amazing.

Here is a look at this beautiful part of California thru my lens. 

First stop - Chinatown! 

Onto Fisherman’s wharf for some crab, yum! 

One of the first beautiful flowering bushes that I see and of course I have to do some pics:) 

Seriously loving all the flowers:) 

Haight and Ashbury, a super electic and hippie-esque area, really cute shops here. 

The first of the tours Saturday morning, and this was one of my favorites, Petroni vineyards, this was up in the mountians and was absolutley beautiful with rolling hills of grapes and olive trees, it reminded me of Sicily. 

Back on our private bus, Army (our driver) brought platters of cheese and crackers for us to munch on in between vineyards. 

Next stop, Muscardini, for lunch and another wine tasting! On the right is the owner with his golden! 

I was begging for someone to come in the super tall grass that would be perfect for senior photos!! We don’t have anything like that in Wisconsin this time of year. Luckily, the beautiful Erin volunteered:) 

The grounds of the Benziger winery. 

Stopping to smell the roses! 

Alise’s gorgeous diamond on top of a cork with “wine diamonds” in it. 

Time for dinner….at this point we all really need food! Haha! 

There were dogs everywhere! 

Ya…it’s starting to get a little crazy! 

The next morning we woke up and headed into downtown Sonoma - which is super cute. 

Stumbled upon the girl and the fig - and so glad we did! This was a great, French inspired restaurant. If you are ever in Sonoma, check it out for sure! 

Not sure if we were ready to jump back onto the wine train, we stopped in this really cute champagne bar, Sigh. It just so happened to be right next to Ben’s (as in Ben from the Bachelor) winery, so we had a great view of his place from the little nook in the window. Jayme, the owner, was super sweet and put up with us as we giggled away with our four flights of champagne! 

My friend Michele spotting Ben for the first time! She was just so excited, and we couldn’t stop laughing! 

At Envolve winery - we sat outside and enjoyed eachother’s company on our last night, with some of my favorite red wine of the whole trip, the Epilouge Boreaux Blend. 

Some super cute kids outside of the winery. 

Back at the house, I was making everyone take “senior pictures!” A couple bottles of wine in and we were all having a blast! 

Miss Cindy on the right, the mastermind behind planning this whole trip. Cindy, you rock! 

Thank you Lisa for taking this one of me! 

Seriously, best group of girls ever! 

As we ended our last evening together, we all went around the table saying how thankful we were for this trip and how much we love Alise. It is true, you can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep. Thank you everyone for such an amazing time, and I can’t wait to celebrate with all of you this July! Congratulations Alise on finding your dream man, love ya girl! 

Hey class of 2014! Senior season is just around the corner. I’m starting to book up sessions for this summer, so give me a call! Here is one of my favorite senior sessions from this past summer of the beautiful Brie from Wisconsin Dells High School. She was so much fun to photograph, and is incredibly photogenic! 

I truly believe in soul mates. Someone that makes you a better person, the other piece you have been waiting for, someone you can’t live without. This couple is very special to me. Wade is my husband’s best friend, a dear friend of mine, and our business partner at the High Rock Cafe. He has been there for both of us through thick and thin. Justin and I have been married for three years, and Wade was the best man in our wedding, and now it’s his turn! 

When Jamie came into the picture last year, I knew she was special, and this was different than any relationship in the past. I hadn’t seen Wade this happy, well…ever. The chemistry that these two share is amazing. They bring out the best in each other, and that is what I truly believe love is all about. Jamie and Wade are getting married this weekend, and I am beyond excited that I will be able to capture their big day. It’s so awesome how fast it happened and how hard they both fell for each other, but I am so happy they did.  

We shot these pictures just a few weeks ago, they gave me about 10 minutes and these two are so much fun to photograph. Fun loving, genuine, and IN LOVE:)….okay, enough of the mushy stuff and onto the pictures!