Destination Wedding Photography | Monmouth, Oregon | San Diego, California

The rainy and cold NW is a bit different than San Diego at this time of year.

Okay, it is different no matter what time of year. Palm trees vs. pine trees and all that.

The wedding was gorgeous, the weather perfect, and everyone I encountered was delightful.

We started the day bright and early at the church. 

The girls got ready and I've never seen such serenity and beauty in one room.

The details were lovely. Red and turquoise blue were the perfect accents 

for the bright and cheery day!

At the top of the church's property sat this little shed. It seemed pretty out of place in a parking lot, but absolutely perfect for photos. It was as though it was painted especially for this bride's color scheme.

The chair was a prop that my second-shooter, Lisa, brought. Perfect color!

The guys got ready quite peacefully too.

With a day surrounded in prayer and friendship, even little hick-ups like a best-man without a tie were handled without stress.

(With a quick trip to the tuxedo shop, a tie was found and pictures could go on :)

The church had this banner up that said, "It's time." 

So applicable for Adam and April who were filled with excited anticipation over this day. Adam got back from a lengthy deployment right before the wedding. It was so awesome to see this couple finally together as man and wife.

After the ceremony, the whole wedding party headed to the marina for pictures... in separate cars.

With a few getting lost, the 45 minute window for wedding party photos and bride and groom photos was crunched to about 15 minutes total.

Much thanks to a very cooperative wedding party, a local second-shooter (friend of the bride's) who scouted the location before-hand, and glorious San Diego weather.

I managed to get enough of this great group to make me happy.

Of course more time would have been awesome, but I'm happy it worked out in the short time available.

Check out the cute ring-bearer and flower-girl, nephew and niece of the groom. The two-year-old twins did fantastic. I kept thinking of how my own two-year-old would have been acting mid-afternoon without a nap -- not so sweet. 

I was so thankful these little ones were so good!

I first met April in San Diego in 2003, a friend of a friend. She kindly followed my personal blog from the beginning and then my photography blog as my business progressed.

It was an honor when she asked me to do wedding photos for her and Adam. I was so excited! Destination wedding photography isn't something I will probably pursue in the future (take regular wedding photography stress and quadruple it!), but it was really fun for this weekend and this special friend.

April found such a great match in Adam. What a privilege to capture their special day!

I wanted to spend the whole afternoon photographing this couple! 

Look how stunning they are. But we had about 5 minutes :).

 The reception was a short drive away and the guests were eagerly waiting for the bride and groom!

This is just a quick glimpse of the many photos from this awesome day!

Just married.....