Out of all the weddings I’ve shot, I don’t think I’ve seen two people more excited to be married than Carrie & Bryan. At least on the outside, these two were GIDDY excited to be marrying the love of their life. This made ME so excited to share this day with them, their family and dear friends. I’ve known Carrie for awhile and she is always so sweet, joyful and passionate. Bryan is her perfect match and I know these two will make each other so happy. (check out their engagement session HERE!) Their love for each other, Jesus and their family is so evident just being around them. It was truly an honor to celebrate this gorgeous day with them at the Temecula Creek Inn.

One of the many reasons I love my job is to not only capture moments, emotion and joy throughout the day, but also those moments that are rare and fleeting. Carrie’s grandfather wasn’t sure he would be able to attend the wedding as he had become very ill in the few weeks prior, BUT he was able to make it and witness his granddaughter marry her love. Just a few short days after the wedding, Carrie’s grandfather passed away. I’m thankful he was able to be in attendance that day and honored to have photographed them together.

Carrie & Bryan – THANK YOU for having me photograph your wedding day. It was one I’ll never forget!!

Vendor love:

Alex & Evan’s wedding was just as beautiful as I imagined it would be. With two people so perfect for each other, you can’t help but create an unforgettable day surrounded by the most loving family, friends…and pups! 🙂

Their wedding weekend was a double dose of Green Gables Estate for me as I attended a wedding as a guest on Saturday and then photographed this wedding on Sunday! It is a beautiful venue and designed to be completely unique for each couple.

A&E – it was an honor to be a part of your wedding day! Thank you for including me in such a wonderful celebration.

Enjoy the photos of Alex & Evan’s perfect day…

Alex is a girl after my own heart…Chucks!

The first look…

From beginning to end, this wedding was a labor of love. Erica, Zach, their family and friends put so much time, effort, sweat, tears into creating this beautiful day and I’m pretty sure it was everything they’d hoped for and more! The ceremony and reception took place at Zach’s grandparents property in Ramona complete with windmills, airplanes and a refurbished Mercedes (by the groom himself)! I was so honored to be a part of this amazing celebration. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of family & friends who welcomed me (and my assistants) as family, always checking in with us and making sure we were okay and had everything we needed. And Erica and Zach? Well, let’s just say these two are the cutest and so so in love with each other. They couldn’t stop smiling, crying, laughing all day long and I know they cherished every single moment to take in all of the effort and love that was put forth in making their wedding day perfect. THANK YOU both for such an amazing day!!

Venue – private residence in Ramona, CA; Catering – John Little Catering; Flowers – Bridget’s Blooms; Hair/Makeup – Cao Dang from Indigo Hair Salon; DJ – Paul Peterson; Desserts – all made by relatives.

Erica’s stunning gown…which had POCKETS! 🙂

The dapper groomsmen

You think she is excited to see her groom??

These two make my job so easy…

So many areas of the property to take photos + amazing light through the trees = HAPPY PHOTOGRAPHER!

Beautiful bridesmaids!!

Silly in love.

I won’t repeat what embarrassing childhood story Zach’s brother said during his speech, but I think the look on Erica’s face says it all. 😉

Let the dance party begin!

Emily & Matthew!! You may recognize them from their Sacramento wedding I shot last June!! I wouldn’t have been at this wedding if it weren’t for Emily…who used to live with Erica and also had Erica as a bridesmaid in her own wedding! Love these two. 🙂

Another gorgeous October winery wedding?? Yes, please!! I’m sure you remember Catie & Ben from their Torrey Pines engagement session…50lb kettle bells, need I say more?? 😉 Now it’s time to share their beautiful wedding day at Keyways Winery in Temecula! The thing I remember most about this day was their ceremony. The words spoken and emotions expressed were heart-felt, sincere and God-centered. These two are a wonderful pair who both have been through some very difficult times, but with their faith, family and true friends by their side, they have nothing but love to share with others. I’ll leave you with that and let the photos speak for themselves. Enjoy!!

THANK YOU! – Venue/Catering – Keyways Winery, Flowers – Buds & Blooms, Cupcakes – Lesley Hess, Hair – Beth Lund, 2nd Shooter – Bethany Belle

I always love winery weddings. This one was no exception. Vernon and Cari were married on a very warm and gorgeous day in October. Leoness Cellars was the venue and it was perfect! Vernon & Cari have such a great love story. They grew up together, went to the same high school, went to prom together…and then went their separate ways through college and starting their careers on different coasts. Once they reconnected a few years ago, they knew they couldn’t live without each other. Cari moved west and they begin their married life together in San Diego! I was honored to be a part of this wedding and loved seeing how happy these two are together. Congratulations Vernon & Cari!!!

A huge thank you to all who helped make this day a success! Amy June Weddings & Events coordinated a flawless day, Hair & Makeup were provided by Style Squad San Diego, Sheri from MFG Floral provided gorgeous bouquets and backdrops, Grove Pastry Shop provided the delicious cake and Cool Band Luke had the dance floor packed all night long! Also, a big thank you to my 2nd shooter and sidekick, Evan Yamada.

Allison & Scott were married on a perfect September day. You can’t beat the setting at Mt. Woodson Castle for a wedding! The ceremony was held under the gorgeous oak trees just before sunset. What an amazing day it was! And these boutonnieres?? AWESOME. Allison & Scott – THANK YOU for having me as a part of your wedding celebration!!

Ceremony/Reception Venue – Mt. Woodson Castle, Ramona; Catering – Personal Touch Dining; DJ – Music Phreek; Photo Booth – Just a Memory Photo Booth; Flowers – Brenda Davis-Landini

Charlotte & Ryan were married on a beautiful summer afternoon in Malibu. A gorgeous setting on the beach in front of The Sunset Restaurant. A perfect day if you ask me! Enjoy!!

I think most of you know by now that I love Maui. And I love it even MORE when I get to photograph a wedding on such a beautiful island! With the help of their wedding coordinator, Cherise, Daniel & Tricia found my work and contacted me to document their wedding day. We didn’t get to meet until the day before the wedding, but I knew right away that this wedding was going to be amazing! Daniel is from Ireland and Tricia is from Southern California, but they met and fell in love in Australia! So with guests traveling from all over the world (Canada, Scotland, Ireland, Australia…) to attend their wedding, it just made sense for it to be in Maui. These two (and their families) couldn’t have been sweeter and welcomed me as if I was an old friend.

Thank you, Tricia & Daniel, for trusting me with your wedding photos and the amazing experience of spending more time on the island I love. CHEERS!

Also, a huge thank you to Allie Lindsey Photography for sacrificing the first day of her vacation to shoot this wedding with me!

It was a GORGEOUS day at the Sugarman Estate (aka Honua Kai Lani)

Are you sitting down? No? Well, take a seat, sit back and relax as I show you one of my most favorite weddings of the year! I’m going to try and not to ramble on and on about this one, but it was some of the best days of my whole summer so I just can’t help it. First of all, before this trip, I had never been to Lake Tahoe. How could I have lived in SoCal for so long and NOT been to this place???!! From my first view of the lake (the first photo below), I fell in love. Being from the Pacific Northwest, this place was a dream and I couldn’t have been happier to participate in such a wonderful celebration. Secondly, this special group of people have been like family to me for so many years ever since Shane and I met in college. I’ve traveled to far off places with Shane & her family so it was only fitting to spend a few days in paradise with them once again. When you last saw Shane, it was in Seattle for her wedding on Bainbridge Island! Click HERE for that lovely day. That is ALSO where you first saw Andy & Alycia! You see, Andy is Shane’s little brother and once I met Alycia at the Seattle wedding, we started chatting about her wedding. The location hadn’t been decided yet, so we talked about a winter wedding in Washington or Oregon and then talks began about a summer wedding in Lake Tahoe. Obviously, Lake Tahoe (Edgewood Tahoe to be exact) was decided upon and I was hired! About a year ago, we shot their engagement session in Portland. Remember this brewery rooftop session??

Okay, let’s get started! Andy & Alycia are two loving, loyal and passionate people who have friends and family just like them to celebrate with. The day before the wedding, Alycia’s family set up the welcome dinner and created an authentic Italian feast for everyone in attendance. My mouth is watering just thinking about all the delicious food they spent all day preparing for all the guests and sharing family traditions which made everyone feel at home. Here are a few snapshots of the pre-wedding festivities…

And NOW for the gorgeous wedding day! I just can’t get over how beautiful Lake Tahoe is and what a gorgeous setting for a wedding!! It was a TAD windy by the water, but luckily it calmed down as the day went on.

The boys out chopping down trees (not really, they were already on the ground) before the ceremony…which you will see the reason for it in a few…

Alycia is STUNNING!!!

Did I mention how windy it was?? 🙂

A perfect setting for a ceremony at Edgewood Tahoe!

The only *slight* (wink, wink) disagreement in this family is their allegiance to their respective Pac-12 universities. Andy is a Husky from the University of Washington and Alycia is a Duck from the University of Oregon (GO DUCKS!). They are definitely a house divided when their two schools face each other, but this “division” was played out as a unifying event during the ceremony (an Italian family tradition). Andy’s dad painted an old saw to represent both schools which they used to saw the log (the one chopped down by the boys earlier) together! It was one of the most unique things I’ve seen during any ceremony and it was awesome. Loved it!

MARRIED!!!

Little did I know, Andy had a pretty big surprise in store for Alycia for their first dance. One of their favorite country singers is Lee Brice and Andy happens to have a best friend with some Nashville connections. So during his bachelor party weekend a few months prior (in Nashville), he (with the help of his connections) was able to get Lee Brice in studio to sing “Crazy Girl”. They recorded this performance and played it during the first dance. Needless to say, Alycia was pleasantly surprised and was serenaded by Mr. Brice! It was a beautiful moment and definitely something they will never forget.

Just before sunset, we snuck out of the reception for a few minutes. I HAD to get some of these tall tall trees in their photos! And I think they turned out just fine. 😉

Good night, Lake Tahoe. You are breathtaking.

Alycia & Andy – THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for having me photograph your wedding festivities. It was such an amazing few days and I wish we could have stayed there forever! 🙂 Congratulations to you both and I hope to see you again soon! Hey, where are those pics of Greece!!! 🙂

How did I get so lucky? I have the best clients that trust me and invite me along for one of their biggest days in life. And to be invited to a destination wedding? In Mexico? I couldn’t ask for more. I absolutely LOVE destination weddings and traveling to new places around the world. Meggan & Ryan are an amazing couple who invited me to share in their destination wedding weekend at Secrets Capri Resort just outside of Cancun, Mexico. Not only did they have a gorgeous wedding, but also a pre-wedding fiesta complete with fire dancers and fireworks!! You’ve seen this super gorgeous couple on my blog once before…check out their engagement session HERE.

Even though I only knew a few people at the wedding to begin with, their friends, family and bridal party were all so sweet and made me feel like part of the family. It was an incredible weekend and I’m so excited to finally share these images with you!

Meggan & Ryan – THANK YOU so much for the honor of documenting your wedding day. It was an amazing weekend and I loved being a part of it!

A glimpse of the pre-wedding festivities!!