Oceanside wedding – Paradise Gardens

This beautiful wedding at Paradise Gardens in Oceanside was an absolute pleasure to be a part of. Aside from the weather being a little on the hot side when we arrived – I can’t imagine how the day could have gone much better. From the perfectly behaved dog, to the children’s parade, to the absolutely gorgeous grounds where we were able to take the wedding photos, this was definitely one of those days that made me LOVE my job. Looking back, I think my favorite part of the day was the first look. The funny thing about “first looks” is that they can sometimes feel a little “contrived” as the bride and groom get ready. But as you can see in the resulting images here – the experience of seeing your spouse for the first time on your wedding day is a special moment that is guaranteed to create some strong emotions.













































Jessica and Chad :: Tom Ham’s Lighthouse

Small is beautiful – and this amazing little wedding took place at Tom Ham’s Lighthouse on Harbor Island in San Diego. After getting ready at the Hilton I walked to the wedding venue (Loved that part!!) to wait for the bride. Tom Ham’s has gone through some significant renovations in the past year and I absolutely loved the new layout with bright interior rooms and a new ceremony site out front. As for the wedding itself – rarely have I seen more smiles at ANY event before… I love these guys!!




























Lao Wedding – San Diego

I’m a huge fan of variety in weddings – so when I was told of a Laos ceremony in the morning followed by a more “western” ceremony in the afternoon I was very excited. Laos is a small country sitting between Thailand and Vietnam, and from what I understand there are a lot of similarities between traditional Thai weddings and traditional Lao weddings. This was my first Lao wedding so I did not have a basis for comparison, but it was full of fascinating traditions (including a bribe to the parents of the bride…) and it had an absolutely elegant traditional wardrobe and styling. I decided that this wedding would be a really cool set of pictures to put in a slideshow so here it is.

http://sdphotostudio.smugmug.com/Weddings/2013/Ty-and-Mark-Video/30752067_4ZbZRh#!i=2662884199&k=JdGhSM2&lb=1&s=A

The afternoon ceremony took place at Island Palms in San Diego

La Jolla Elopement

To elope, most literally, merely means to run away and to not come back to the point of origination. Some people think that elopements are not romantic and not special – but I would have to strongly disagree with that opinion. This incredibly romantic wedding on the shores of La Jolla had only one witness (me) and the whole experience was pure joy.

The advantage of this being an elopement is that we were not tied to plans or a timetable. Being the 4th of July we were all worried about getting in and around La Jolla so I arrived an hour and a half early, which by coincidence was EXACTLY when the happy couple arrived. Rather than get married first do pictures second, we decided to get started on the pictures right away. And as we were walking and shooting (and getting hotter-and-hotter) somebody came up with the brilliant idea of jumping in the ocean right after the wedding.














The ceremony was performed by Rev Christopher Tuttle from http://www.elopetosandiego.com/

Casey + Cathy = Married

Its always fun shooting weddings when you already know the bride and groom – so this was a very special wedding.  Not only are Casey and Cathy my neighbors – but I actually traveled to Santa Barbara last year to photograph the surprise proposal.  This wedding took place at the Sheraton in Carlsbad with the portrait session happening nearby at the San Diego Botanical Gardens (aka Quail Botanical Gardens).

The day was long but super fun – and as a result of those 2 things (long day and fun time) I shattered my record for the most pictures I have ever taken at a wedding.  In fact, while I was creating this blog post I was struggling to narrow down my list of favorite images to get below my top 200.





































Superstition Mountain

When Fallyn first called me to tell me she wanted me to be her wedding photographer… and that the wedding was “out in the desert” I knew I was in for a treat. Of course – what inspired me to leave my SUV at home in favor of the hybrid sedan is another matter all together (but I still managed to show up early). This wedding fulfilled all expectations with an absolutely stunning location and a beautiful wedding with good friends and family. Not even the 95 degree heat could put a damper on this spectacular celebration.







































Breakers Beach Wedding – Coronado Island


North Island Air Station on Coronado is a spectacular location for a wedding. The beach is enormous and the new hotel is comfortable and elegant. On top of that Freya and Justin are an amazing couple who can’t seem to take a bad photo if they tried.  Both Jon and Chris of SD Photo Studio were very excited to be a part of this amazing day.

 

 

Wedding In Ocean Beach

Chris and Jon were at it again last weekend in Ocean Beach. We don’t get to team up together for every wedding – but when we do we always have a blast working together. This wedding took place in the courtyard at the Ocean Beach Hotel which is immediately adjacent to the Ocean Beach Pier. The sky on this particular day was a photographers dream come true – with a mix of light overcast and some awesome cloud formations.

Ocean Beach Hotel Wedding
Ocean Beach Pier Wedding
Flower Girl Ocean Beach
Ocean Beach Hotel Wedding
Ocean Beach Hotel Ceremony
Wedding Ceremony at Ocean Beach
Wedding Ceremony
Wedding Ceremony Kiss
Ocean Beach Pier Wedding Portraits
Wedding Photos Ocean Beach
Ocean Beach Pier Bridal Photos
San Diego Wedding Photos
Wedding Cake