Two weekends ago we had a great honor to shoot Nathan and Michelle’s beautiful wedding at the Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego! The setting was gorgeous and we couldn’t have asked for a better place to shoot. There were so many wonderful opportunities photo wise, it was like being in photographer candy land. The day started of with meeting Nathan and his guys in the lounge area of the very cozy and rustic yet elegant Inn. Nathan and all of his groomsmen donned their Dress Blues, except for the Best Man who wore a tux, which could of possibly signified his honored role as Best Man. It was very cool to hear that Nathan and all of his groomsmen are officer pilots in the Marine Corps.
We then headed off to meet the bride and capture hair and make-up with her girls. We’d like to give a shout out to Summer from Design Visage located in Costa Mesa, CA, who did a fabulous job with Michelle! We had a great time hanging out with the girls and documenting those special moments pre – ceremony. After Michelle was ready to go in her stunning and elegant lace dress and cute turquoise heels, we headed off to the locations for the girl’s group shoot. It was pretty pleasant outside, a huge break from the 100 plus weather here in Yuma, AZ. Not long after the girls group shoot, we headed to the picturesque Santiago courtyard area, which was surrounded by abundant greenery wrapped in lights and lanterns. Live orchestral music enwrapped the atmosphere as the bride walked down the isle. A beautiful water fountain posed in the background as the bride and groom exchanged vows. It was very romantic. After the first kiss and family pictures, we were really excited to take the couple out for some romantics as the sun set. There we so many places to shoot but only so much time.
As we ventured to the reception located in the Santiago Room, we approached a very cool rustic wooden green door set up against a wall which contained written table assignments on chalkboards placed within the door. For the grand entrance of the bride and groom, there was a sword arch presented by the Marine officers, which is a military wedding tradition. The set-up of the reception was very elegant and had a garden feel to it. The tables were decorated with mason jars filled with cream colored flowers with hints of blue and pink that were wrapped in lace or khaki. Elena Andrews with Inn Florals did an amazing job in creating the flower arrangements for the wedding! The weddings favors were wine bottles from the Main Squeeze, located in Yuma, Arizona. The party favors were meant to help tell the story of where the bride and groom met! At the end of the reception, the bride and groom departed through a runway of glow sticks, held by their closest friends and family! We just want to say thank to Michelle and Nathan and their family, for their generosity and kindness! Thank you for choosing us to capture your special day!!!