Betsy & Jeff Recommitment Ceremony | Wiens Family Cellars

There were no flowers on the altar, nor the trellis or down the aisle … in fact there was no altar, no trellis, no aisle, no flower girl or ring bearer, there was no bridal party and no programs. There was, however, ten years of commitment and love being celebrated with twenty close friends and family members.  On May 7th, 2010 Betsy and Jeff again took hands and promised that the commitment they had made 3,562 days earlier they would continue to keep.

Betsy and Jeff were one of the first couples Kristy and I met when we moved to San Diego and  I was so thrilled and honored that they asked me to document their recommitment ceremony at Wiens Family Cellars in Temecula.  They are also, the über talented LaVida Creations, so not only was it a huge compliment that they would ask me to photograph their commitment ceremony, it also was a bit intimidating to shoot for another photography couple.

I arrived at Wiens before they opened and met up with Meaghan Schmaltz of Weddings Made Splendid who coordinated the day for Jeff and Betsy and managed all the little details to help make the day as low key and relaxed as Jeff and Betsy hoped it would be.  Meaghan and I walked the grounds of Wiens to find the best location for their ceremony, and ultimately chose a great place in the midst of their vineyard.  Keeping an intimate and personal feel to their ceremony away from the bridal lawn that is beautiful, but typically used for much larger and more formal events at Wiens.  I have to give a huge shout out and thank you to Wiens for being so fantastic letting us have complete run of their grounds, then tastings for everyone inside and even opening up the Barrel Room so that I could shoot portraits of Jeff and Betsy in there.

After the ceremony and wine tastings Jeff and Betsy invited everyone over to Ponte Winery’s Smokehouse Restaurant for lunch.  Ponte Winery is another beautiful location in Temecula for weddings, but the Smokehouse restaurant is just an outstanding place to eat!  After lunch the day continued over at South Coast Winery and Resort where Betsy and Jeff were staying for the night.  Everyone descended on their villa for more wine and cheese, casual conversation which eventually led to more portraits in the villa, and someone suggested a trash the dress shoot in the pool.  We made quite a scene, all of Jeff and Betsy’s friends and relatives and the few guests gathered poolside as Jeff and Betsy, literally this time, took the plunge.

Perhaps my favorite part of the day was standing at the back of your villa looking out over Temecula valley with Jeff McCue and Jeff Youngren as the sun started to turn to that beautiful Southern California golden light and thinking how truly lucky we are to be able to do what we love and how lucky I am to have made such great friends in the short time I have been in San Diego.

Jeff and Betsy, I have said it before, but am so honored to have been included in your day in such a special way, and even more so to be able to call you both friends.  Enjoy some of the images from their day by clicking on the image above, or any of the thumbnails below.  And don’t forget to check out the podcast for a slideshow with even more images!