Posts Tagged ‘ocean’
Scripps Seaside Forum Wedding, La Jolla
The Scripps Seaside Forum in La Jolla is such a beautiful place to get married, especially if you want to have your wedding right on the beach! Its modern architecture, incredible textures, and unobstructed ocean views make it the perfect spot for a San Diego Destination Wedding. This was definitely the case for Lindsay & Luke, who actually live in the bay area, but wanted to have their wedding in San Diego where Lindsay grew up! We really loved the bright colors of the bouquets paired with perfect pink bridesmaids dresses. Luke’s khaki suit really made him stand out among his groomsmen.
We started out with getting ready shots at the Empress Hotel in La Jolla Cove before heading over to the Scripps Seaside Forum. This is the kind of inspiring location that we could photograph a hundred times and still have new options for portraits! The grassy ceremony area overlooks the ocean and is backed by a row of giant palm trees, all of which gave it a perfect relaxed San Diego feel.
After the ceremony, we had the opportunity to take them down the beach to the Scripps Pier, which is famous among landscape photographers for it’s clean, symmetrical concrete columns that seem to disappear into an infinity of white over the ocean. We love shooting romantic portraits with couples like Lindsay & Luke… it was so easy to tell that the rest of the world just drops away when they look into each other’s eyes!
One of our favorite wedding trends is when couples incorporate elements from their culture into the details of the day. To celebrate Lindsay’s Japanese heritage, they had 1000 colorful origami cranes (for good luck) hanging on a tree, a Banzai to represent her brother who was there in spirit, and an awesome authentic japanese steel drum performance.
Location: Scripps Seaside Forum
Coordinator: Bliss Events
Catering: Crown Point Catering
Officiant: Bethel Nathan
Ceremony Musician/Reception DJ: Michael Tiernan
Hair & Makeup: Flora Wade
Limo: LJ Transportation
Encinitas Engagement Session
From the first moment we sat down to coffee with Heather and Nick, we just clicked. It felt like we were hanging out with long time friends who totally got our photography style, love for funky Leucadia (turns out they lived a few blocks away from us), and even were planning their wedding to be on the same day that Shane and I got married!
Heather envisioned a sun-washed, anthropologie style e-session to compliment the vintage theme of their upcoming wedding. I especially loved when she surprised Nick with a page from her diary that she wrote the night after their first date…No doubt in my mind that these two are soul mates.
Watch for pics from their amazing vintage Italian inspired wedding coming very soon!
Torrey Pines Gliderport Engagement Session
We love shooting engagement sessions in new or different places, so we decided to go to a somewhat hidden spot called Torrey Pines Gliderport in La Jolla. It’s an excellent alternative to shooting at the much more popular (read: crowded) Torrey Pines State Reserve, especially on weekends. There is a really cute grassy hill behind the glider launch that overlooks the cliffs and is perfect for photos with lots of blue skies and simple green grass… it reminds me of warm summer days, flying a kite, or running through the sprinklers as a child. After shooting some playful photos on the hill, we made our way down the path to the beach for more romantic images as the sun set.
Rachel is a fantastic wedding coordinator with AR Affairs, and we’ve had the pleasure of working with her on quite a few weddings. She is always hard-working, very professional, and extremely organized. We quickly realized that she was head over heels in love with Tyler, as he definitely brings out a whole new side of her! She was constantly giggling, smiling ear to ear, and couldn’t take her hands of that tall, dark, and handsome man of hers! Although being a male model wasn’t exactly on Tyler’s list of hobbies, he totally worked it for the camera!!!
Keep an eye out for the upcoming blog post about their beautiful wedding at the Catamaran Resort in Mission Bay!
Tulum, Mexico Destination Wedding – Traditional Mayan Ceremony
We first met Ashley and Travis while shooting their engagement session here in San Diego. They hadn’t decided on a location for their destination wedding yet, but really loved their engagement photos and wanted us to photograph it wherever they decided to go. Fortunately for us, they chose Tulum, Mexico!
Tulum is a short 2 hr drive south of Cancun, but worlds away from the crazy Spring Break vibe found there. Beyond the tropical foliage that lines the coast are stunning warm turquoise waters, white sand beaches dappled with occasional sunbathers, surfers, yoga retreats and the breathtakingly beautiful Tulum ruins. The whole area evokes a calming peacefulness and spiritual draw that makes it stand out as one of our favorite places in the world.
Ashley and Travis scored a gorgeous private villa large enough to house all of their closest friends and family in one location! They embraced the local culture and traditions of the Mayan Riviera by having an actual Shaman marry them in a traditional Mayan ceremony, emphasizing harmonious interaction with mother nature. Our favorite part of the ceremony was when everyone raised their hands over the couple to signify their support and blessings as the Shaman blew a conch shell invoking the gods to bear witness to the couple’s eternal union. The ceremony built to a crescendo as strong winds mysteriously rose around us. Our senses were overwhelmed by the touch of sand, wind, and waves crashing as we watched the couple seal their union with a kiss punctuated by the resounding call of the conch shell. SUPER-ROMANTIC, right?!?
Following the ceremony was an awesome outdoor reception that featured some of the most incredible entertainment we have ever seen at a wedding! A local world-beat fusion band played an eclectic mix of exotic instruments and songs so energetic that everyone (including grandma) couldn’t resist dancing their butts off! As they played, various band members jumped out on the dance floor to perform… at one point the lead singer (a dutch expatriate) rocked a traditional African dance to perfection. It was WILD! The crowd parted as fire dancers, stilt walkers, and capoeira dancers emerged to perform… it was like being on stage at a private showing of Cirque du Soleil! I remember walking over to Jen and saying “Can you believe we are getting to photograph THIS?!?”
Special thanks to Ashley & Travis for planning such an incredibly unique wedding and having us come along to capture all the fun!
La Jolla Shores Wedding with Shani & Matt
Tucked away behind the Museum of Modern Art in La Jolla Shores is a beautiful little park that looks out over the ocean. Its natural beauty and elegance provided the perfect setting for Shani & Matt’s Wedding. These two made getting married seem like a refreshing swim in the ocean – effortless, relaxing, and filled with fun!
A few years after they met and started dating, Matt invited Shani to go for a night surf session. As they sat on their boards under the moonlight and stars, Matt miraculously produced a brilliant engagement ring and asked Shani to marry him. Unbeknown to Shani, he had tied the ring to his wetsuit using fishing line and planned an entire evening to follow. They then celebrated by riding some of the most epic 50ft waves ever. Ok- I made the last part up, but the rest is totally true, I swear! We thought it was probably the most romantic proposal we’ve ever heard of.
Anyway, congratulations to Shani and Matt!!! We hope you enjoy this selection of some of our favorite images!
Shane & Jen
to savor this summer
Sun-kissed and barefoot, hair tousled by the ocean wind, they played together under the pure blue sky…
Our Trash the Dress session with Jen & Rhett was simply magical. The exuberance and joy that these two exude is contagious. They are is so in love, so youthful and full of life. These images bring a smile to my face every time I see them and make me think of how special it is to enjoy life with the one you love.
