Posts tagged California Beach Destination Wedding
The Wedding Bowl, Cuvier Club Wedding | Nina and Jonathan
 

As a wedding photojournalist, capturing Nina and Jonathan’s day meant preserving every laugh, every tear, and every beautifully unguarded moment. The kind you cannot plan. The kind you feel. Even a wild squirrel joined the celebration, running right through the ceremony like it had a front-row seat to love. Honestly, iconic. 🐿️

Their wedding ceremony at The Wedding Bowl and reception at Cuvier Club were filled with a burst of joy, colors, lots of tequila shots, and party; wrapped in orange 🧡🍊 and light blue 💙, and then, bright, calm, playful, and full of heart. Every detail felt intentional, but nothing felt forced. Just like documentary wedding photography which lets people be exactly who they are.

Their love story is just as sweet. Jonathan asked Nina to marry him during a boat ride when she caught a floating bottle drifting in the water. Inside was a note that said, “Will you marry me?” She said yes, and right after that, it started to rain. Like a movie scene. Nina’s mom believes the rain was a sign from her dad in heaven, showing his love and presence. I mean, C’mon. 😭

As a wedding photojournalist, these are the moments I live for. The laughter that sneaks up on you. The tears that come out of nowhere. The stories that hold so much meaning beneath the surface. A true reminder of why authentic and candid wedding photography matters so much.

📸 by me and Brett

 
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Santa Monica Beach Wedding - Elopment, Danielle + Sue - love is love

"Dog lovers. Sushi and chicken Teriyaki."

I don't know if I have a problem but I enjoy finding similarities with couples I photograph, and certainly it wasn't an exception for these two wonderful souls. Perhaps, it's how I find my own comfort in this strangely beautiful world. I tend to play this game in my head alone over and over again. Yes, I'm weird. 

Danielle and Sue "eloped" in Santa Monica with their one best friend and two chihuahua pups. They simply wanted to celebrate their love privately because it felt right and perfect. One of the reasons why I love what I do so much is because of people like Danielle and Sue; we just couldn't stop laughing and smiling all this afternoon.

To me, this was the best. 

Kristin + Tomasz. Beach House Destination Wedding
"Kristin, my heart loves so many things about you." - Tomasz
"Tomasz, you are my favorite. The best person I have ever met." - Kristin

I wish I could have been in the same room of the Ph.D. party at Northwestern University in Chicago when Kristin met Tomasz whose energy and carriage she described as "a cross between Tigger from Winne the Pooh and a knight from King Arthur's Round Table."

They talked about why they chose Northwestern, where they were from, chatted about his upcoming salsa class. (Kristin was a former dancer.) She was determined to get a date with him; however, Tomasz, who's from Poland, did not comprehend her "cheesy" American pick-up line.

"It was something like, 'it'd be nice to see you again,'" Kristin said. But in Poland, you never ask someone out upon first meeting them; there was no "proper" response from Tomasz. Then, Kristin wrote her email on a piece of paper and marched back over to him and stuffed the paper in his hand saying, “Here! take this; write to me!”

Thankfully he did! That was 11 years ago.

Now they both live in Boston as Tomasz is an Economics professor at Harvard University while Kristin is finishing up her graduate program and teaching at Boston University. And their intimate and beautiful wedding took a place at a beach house in Cambria, a seaside village in California, owned by Kristin's grandparents, where she spent many childhood vacations and where all her siblings got married. The celebration was filled with laughter, tears of joy, and euphoria. I am SO blessed to have been there to witness it all.