Melissa and Craig are getting married in November at the Temecula Creek Inn and contacted me after seeing another wedding I had photographed at the Temecula Creek Inn on my blog.  After chatting about their wedding plans over the phone, we decided to meet up the next time they came to Temecula to visit the Temecula Creek Inn.  We met up at Leonesse Cellars, which is one of my favorite wineries in Temecula and grabbed a glass of wine, sat on the back patio over looking the beautiful vineyard, barrel room and rolling hills of the Temecula Valley.  They mentioned how they had originally planned to hold their wedding in Paso Robles, but that the Temecula Creek Inn made it so much easier for them … rather than figuring out how to bring in a tent, and chairs, and linens, and catering, Temecula Creek Inn offered all of that in their package.  As we talked more I found out that Craig and Melissa were members at Tablas Creek Vineyard … my absolute favorite winery in Paso Robles.  Which got us talking more about wine than their wedding, but eventually we made it back to wedding plans and details!

For Melissa and Craig’s engagement session I drove up from San Diego to Rancho Palos Verdes to meet up with them.  They live right outside of Palos Verdes, and wanted to incorporate some of the feel of that area, since they’re wedding will be in Temecula.  I had a great time exploring the beautiful communities around Palos Verdes before we started the shoot.  Ultimately we decided to start at the historic Malaga Cove Library and the shops nearby.

After photographing around the library we wandered down to the shops.  I absolutely loved all the mixed design of the buildings in the Malaga Cove shops, the old fig and eucalyptus trees, and as Melissa and I would agree, there was a lot of great texture down there!

Like any good relationship, Melissa and Craig have their rivalries … namely Arizona v. UCLA.  When we first met in Temecula, one of their musts for the engagement photos was to incorporate their favorite teams.  They even have a doormat for each team, and whichever team wins that year their doormat gets displayed out front until the following season.  I think Craig is supposed to be enjoying coming home to his team’s name on the front step at this point!

After photographing around Malaga Cove and a quick wardrobe change, we drove over to the incredible Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes.  This place is fantastic, and we had such a blast, although, I think we all felt like we were going to get kicked out at any moment.  The landscaping and buildings around Terranea as well as the views of the cliffs, and Pacific ocean are incredible.  There’s a beautiful cove below the resort, as well as a public walking path that goes around the outside.  We, however, drove right up to the front gates, parked and wandered all through the resort.

Melissa and Craig, I had a great time hanging out with you guys in Palos Verdes, and am really looking forward to your wedding!  Thanks for making the session so fun, and for the delicious fish tacos afterwards!

Friends and Family members can register at Pictage to view the images from their engagement as well as their wedding photos as soon as they’re available by clicking here.

I am so excited to be photographing Joana + Roberts upcoming wedding in October.  I met with Joana and Robert to talk about their wedding plans after their wedding planner Lindsy Hines recommended me.  The first time I met with them, Robert did most of the talking and Joana was quiet and shy.  Before we had our engagement session they wanted to meet up again to talk about what to expect.  It seems they had lots of questions about what the engagement session would be like.  We met at Sogno Di Vino which is an annex of their favorite restaurant in Little Italy Bon Appetito for a glass of wine and to talk about the upcoming engagement photos.  A glass of wine turned into a bottle, and we talked for over an hour about their wedding plans, wine, work, how they met, and a little bit about the photo session.  We decided on shooting in Balboa Park which is very close to where Robert works, and he often runs through the park during the days.

We met up by the Prado, and walked over to Alcazar Garden to start their photos.  I love Alcazar Gardens because it seems to be off the radar for a lot of visitors to Balboa Park and is very beautiful.  It’s a small area, but includes some of the great architecture that Balboa Park offers and is a quiet place to start portraits without all the people that you’ll find throughout the rest of the park.

From the quiet of Alcazar Garden and the front of the Museum of Man, Joana and Robert got changed and we attended a rally at the Spreckels Organ Pavillion … this was the exact opposite of the garden, I mean, there were literally hundreds of people around the pipe organ with someone screaming into a microphone to the point of being distorted past comprehension.  Robert and Joana did great even though they couldn’t hear me, at this time, they were totally comfortable in front of the camera and gave me great looks for the photos.  

The arboretum is another great location in Balboa Park and a spot Robert was excited to photograph around.

As the light faded in the park we were sad that the cafe lights that line El Prado, but we still took advantage of the fading light and got some great twilight shots on the main boulevard that travels through Balboa Park. I’m so looking forward to Joana + Robert’s wedding after their engagement photos in Balboa Park, and it’s coming up fast!

Family and friends can go to Pictage to register to view the images from their engagement shoot as well as their wedding photos as soon as their available by clicking here.

On my last trip back East, I met up with Betsy and John at Betsy’s parent’s home in Maryland for their engagement photos.  Betsy and John are planning their wedding in June of next year, and I’m so excited to be included in their wedding plans.  Like most of my couples I could tell they were a bit nervous at first when we got started, but unlike some couples, they immediately relaxed and seemed to really enjoy being with each other, and didn’t seem to care that I was pointing a camera at them.

We had a great time wandering around the small town of Eldersburg near her parents home to start, taking advantage of the old split rail fences, the stone buildings of old town Eldersburg as well as the trains and even, maybe breaking into a restaurant that wasn’t yet opened!

After wandering around Eldersburg, we went back to Betsy’s parent’s beautiful home and large yard to continue their engagement photos.  The lush grass, big old trees are something I definitely miss when photographing around most of San Diego.  Even though it was the middle of the day, the light dappling though the heavy canopy of old trees around Betsy’s parent’s home was simply beautiful.  Also … it was close to 100 degrees, but I don’t think you can tell at all from the photos.

Betsy and John were really a fun and beautiful couple to photograph.  I can’t wait for their wedding day next June and look forward to hearing more about their plans, although it sounds like most everything is already wrapped up … they have the winter to relax and wait for the big day!

Friends and Family members, if you would like to see the rest of Betsy and John’s engagement photos, you can click here to sign up at Pictage to be notified when they’re online and you’ll also be notified as soon as their wedding photos are ready next year!

I met Jean and Frank at Cylburn Arboretum for their engagement shoot just two weeks before their wedding.  Jean contacted me in San Diego back in March as she and Frank planned their wedding for the end of May.  Since I was traveling to Puerto Rico at the beginning of May and they wanted the opportunity to meet with me in person, and also wanted engagement photos, I decided to fly into Baltimore before flying on to Puerto Rico.  It was a beautiful fall afternoon in Maryland when we met at the Cylburn Arboretum; a secret gem of a location just north of Baltimore where you can roam the grounds and feel as if you’re the only one on the whole property.  After a glass of wine (or two) at Cylburn, we headed down to Fells Point for the cobblestone streets and brick row homes as well as the view over the harbor.

I had a great time hanging out with Jean and Frank for the afternoon, and can’t wait to share their wedding photos … coming soon! Check out a few more of their engagement photos below.

Friends and family members can register to view the rest of their engagement photos as well as their wedding photos at Pictage.

Elayna and Bryan had a fantastic intimate wedding at Sunset Cliffs back in November, and at the end of the year wanted to do a day after or Trash the Dress shoot which we chose to do at both Mission Trails Regional Park as well as Torrey Pines State Park just north of La Jolla Shores.  I had the opportunity to photograph Laura and Zsombor’s engagement photos at Mission Trails and I absolutely love the terrain, and scenery there.  Being able to contrast that inland dry terrain against the Southern California coastline was great! It’s incredible that these two locations are within fifteen minutes of each other.

Janna and Pon traveled from their home in Kansas to San Diego for a long weekend retreat after all the stress of planning their wedding.  Before they left, Janna got in touch with me after seeing my article on Trash the Dress and Day After sessions on the blog and wanted to bring her dress along to San Diego to get some great shots including palm trees and the ocean … scenery they obviously didn’t have in their wedding photos.  Since Pon has family in San Diego, they have vacationed here a lot, and truly love the scenery so it made sense to them to have images that were not only unique from their wedding photos, but also from a place that holds many fond memories for them.

We started in Balboa Park, the land of endless ‘cachinks’ (the sound of a camera shutter) as I like to call it.  Seriously, everywhere you turn here is another amazing backdrop and photo opportunity.  I absolutely love the huge roots of the Fig trees in the park which I found the first time I did a day after session there with Melissa and Bryce.  After that shoot and exploring the park some more, I found another tree with an even more extensive root system so I wanted to bring Janna and Pon here to see what we could come up with.  After shooting in Balboa Park, I knew that Janna wanted to include the ocean in the background and loved the Sunset Cliffs shoot with Josel and Brad so we headed to Ocean Beach.  Unfortunately the tide was too high to go to the cliffs at Sunset, but we were able to get under the pier, and onto the rocks next to Newport Avenue for some fun creative shots.

Kristy came along to help with lighting, and posing, and we had such a blast hanging out with Janna and Pon during their shoot.  Check out a few of the images from the shoot below!

Laura and Zsombor are planning their wedding on the beach in Oceanside, California, so when we were talking about where they would like to do their engagement sessions they wanted to avoid the beach.  I thought, as I think Laura did that given Zsombor is an architect they would want to include some San Diego skyline, or perhaps some of the architecture at Balboa Park.  But no, Zsombor told Laura he wanted to shoot outside, someplace like Julian.  Maybe that’s because Laura’s an archeologist and he wanted her to be comfortable since she spends her days digging in the dirt avoiding snakes, scorpions and un-exploded ordinance from an old army bombing range.

Although there’s not the amazing apple pie that Julian is noted for at Mission Trails Park in San Diego, there’s plenty of beautiful tall grass, old split rail fences and open trails to wander with rolling hills in the background.  So we packed a picnic and hit the trails.  Check out a few of the images from their engagement shoot below.  You can also view more on my facebook page.

Oh! And word to the wise … when it says “Gates close at 7:00pm” what they mean is, “Gates close at 7:00pm, and you and your car will be locked in!” I don’t know how I didn’t understand that.  We did manage to get let out at about 7:40pm.

I absolutely love shooting Day after Sessions and Trash the Dress photoshoots.  Why? Well … lots of reasons.  For me it’s a great opportunity to get a bit more creative with portraits than I often have the time for on a wedding day without the worry of the dress getting dirty, or hair getting messed up before the ceremony or even the reception.  Day after sessions, are a great opportunity to not only pick the location that we’ll do the shoot, but to pick the time of day without any concerns about where the bride and groom need to be next.

No matter how much time we have together on a wedding day, I know there are other thoughts going through my couple’s head than just being together.  On Trash the Dress sessions we get to be completely creative without any concern about what’s going to happen to the dress next.

Want to get in the ocean? SURE!

So what exactly is a Trash the Dress and how is it different from a Day after Session? Well, first, let me say that I’ve never done a Trash the Dress session with the sole intent to destroy a wedding gown.  If the dress gets in the ocean, or mud fine, but to me, Trash the Dress is really more about not being concerned about how the dress looks after the photoshoot than actually intending to wreck it.  Day after sessions tend to be a little less dramatic with what a couple or bride is willing to do.  Laying down in the grass … sure.  Laying down in the sand … possibly.  It really may be more a matter of semantics though as I think lots of couples would love to have the opportunity to shoot more portraits than time allows on a wedding day, but don’t like the idea of actually trashing the dress.

But these are all my thoughts so I decided I would ask a few couples that I’ve worked with in the past on Trash the Dress and Day After sessions what made them decide to do one of these shoots, and what their thoughts were after the fact.  You can view galleries of their images to see more examples from their photoshoots, as well as see a video that was shot during one of my trash the dress sessions below.  Feel free to leave comments or any questions that we didn’t answer too!

If you’re considering a Trash the Dress session or Day, Anniversary or any other excuse to get back into your wedding gown and have a blast drop me an email, or contact me through the ‘Connect’ link above!

Did you do more of a Trash the Dress, or Day After session?

Melissa: We did more of a day after session, with the thought being unique places where you wouldn’t normally see a wedding dress. We didn’t care about getting it dirty, but it was more about getting interesting shots of the two of us than trashing the dress. We just wanted a relaxed photo shoot with a casual background in our wedding attire.

Josel:  My intention for the gown was to get it a little dirty. I wanted to get it cleaned afterwards so that I could have my dress as a keepsake. Halfway through the photo shoot, I realized that having a great picture that captured me in the dress was worth far more than keeping it clean. I suddenly had the urge to dirty it up a bit by laying in bed of sea algae. So although I started out with the intention of a simple Day After session, we ended up doing what most people would call a Trash the Dress.

Jenni:  My intention was to get some fun shots without any care in the world about what my dress would look like afterwards.  If it’s clean, fine but if it got completely ruined I would have been fine with that as well.

Was this truly a day after or was done as a celebration? Anniversary, etc.

Jenni: I decided to trash my dress five years and two kids after my wedding day when I realized I still  fit in it and it was just taking up space in my closet.  I was married in Germany and was disappointed in my wedding photographs so there was the extra incentive to get really fun creative images with the dress.

Rachel: My husband and I did our Trash the Dress session for our first year anniversary.

Melissa: It was literally the day after our wedding.  I grew up in San Diego, but live now in Arizona, so shooting the day after our wedding gave us the opportunity to both have more time in Balboa Park as well as get to Coronado Island to do some portraits on the beach and by the ocean.

What was the main reason you wanted to do a Trash the Dress or Day After session?

Melissa: For one thing, we only had one hour between the ceremony and rehearsal with the sunset. So we knew we would be rushed. And we wanted more than the traditional formal portraits. We wanted architecture, the beach, and interesting shots for us to remember. Plus we knew we would be more relaxed and could have fun.

Rachel: After stumbling across the ‘trash the dress’ idea while wedding planning, I was intrigued and determined to do it, however, I was nervous about ruining my perfect dress. my wedding day came and went and I had my dress cleaned and stored away. as my 1 year anniversary approached, I remembered that I had wanted to trash my dress. I started researching pictures and found that there were different extremes of trashing the dress. I could either decide to not ruin it at all by just posing in a weird funky place or kill it by jumping in the ocean. I soon realized that I didnt want my dress to gather dust in the closet and decided it should go out with a bang! I freaked out initially when I had sand thrown all over me, but then I relished the excitement of making great lasting photos with it.

Josel: Our wedding was destination wedding in San Diego and we only had a few days there after our wedding day. It was important for us to capture all the beautiful scenery and ambiance San Diego had to offer. We decided to take a few hours out of our “mini-honeymoon” to do the photo shoot. We wanted to take advantage of the beach which we did not have enough time to visit on the actual wedding day. It would have also been hard to coordinate the entire bridal party before the reception. Our makeup and hair would have been ruined and I did not want everyone to feel uncomfortable during the reception so doing a day after session made total sense to us to allow us to enjoy our wedding day and still get the more creative shots that we hoped to get while in San Diego.

How did the TTD/DAS differ from your wedding portraits?

Josel: Before my wedding I debated on whether to wear my hair up or down for my wedding day. The day after session gave me the opportunity to wear my hair both ways!  During the day after session, I was able to connect even more so with my new husband. We did not have any alone time during our wedding day and it was nice to be in our own little world together the next day.  I think the day after session photographs looked more relaxed and laid back. First of all, I was barefoot. Secondly, my husband was wearing khaki pants, a white shirt and flip flops. It gave our pictures a very San Diego feel, which we loved!

Jenni: In every way! From the location to the weather; my husband wasn’t in the Trash the Dress session, oh! and I went swimming in my dress which obviously was not something I did  on my wedding day!

What was your favorite part of the Trash the Dress session?

Melissa: Evan had us crawl in this massive tree trunk and lay down in the leaves. It was really beautiful in a non perfect way. Everyone raves about the contrast between the wooded setting and the dress. It’s so unexpected, we loved how we knew everything we were doing was going to generate a buzz. And each picture could hang on our wall rather than a stuffy posed picture. Evan had a great vision for how to bring our ideas to life.

Josel: I enjoyed getting dolled up and wearing my dress again. I also enjoyed feeling like a supermodel the whole time!

Jenni: I loved doing something I don’t get to do everyday and something that was just for my benefit.  It was a lot of fun! Also, since I’m a photographer myself it was great to work with another photographer who’s work I respect.

Did you try to have your dress cleaned after your TTD/DAS?  Did it get cleaned?

Jenni: I let my dress sit for over a week before trying to wash it.  At that time the dirt stains had settled in.  Most of the dirt and stains came out but not all of them.  If I had cleaned it right away, it probably would have come completely clean, but I really didn’t care as I didn’t plan or expect to wear it again.

Melissa: My dress was already ripped in 3 places from the reception and with the combo of laying in the trees and walking in the tide the dress was toast. but I got some great wear out of it and now it will  be a dress up dress for my kids.

Rachel: I took a shower with it when I got home, dried it, then shook out the sand. I did not try to have it cleaned again. It looks a little sandy now, but its fine for wearing for my husband on our anniversaries.

Josel: After walking on the beach and laying in a bed of slimy green sea algae, my dress had noticeable stains on it. My mother insisted on getting it cleaned so she hand washed it first, then got it dry-cleaned. All the stains came out and now it looks brand new!

Would you do it again? Is there anything you would do differently?

Josel: I would absolutely do it again! It was extremely fun and I felt like a real model. Because Pete and Evan were so enthusiastic about photographing us and took the time to get that perfect shot, it made us feel comfortable. To me, it didn’t matter if my hair was messing up, or if my dress was getting dirty. I was able to feel more at ease and sexy during the photoshoot since I was not worried about ruining my makeup, hair and dress.

In addition to getting incredible images, being on the beach at sunset with my new husband was very romantic and created even more memorable moments. We were able to enjoy each other’s company in a beautiful setting and backdrop.

Melissa: Absolutely! We loved the location in Balboa Park and the beach. If we did it again, we would have gone further into the ocean, into the waves. My dress was ruined in the tides, so we should have just gone for it.

Rachel: I would do it again in a heartbeat. I tell all my friends getting married that they should do it. Its a wonderful liberating event. The only thing I would do differently is have my hair and make up done professionally. I just did it myself and I wasnt that impressed with myself

Jenni: I would do it again in a heartbeat!  It was exactly what I hope it would be and the photographs are so unique!

If you didn’t see Josel and Brad’s wedding photos, check them out now. Their wedding was the epitome of elegance and sophistication, so when Pete and I had the opportunity to shoot Josel and Brad at Sunset Cliffs as a day after session, rolling around in the grass, climbing trees, getting down in the surf, and on the rocks we couldn’t pass it up.  I absolutely love photographing day after and trash the dress sessions.  It allows both me and the couple to create images that are completely different from their wedding day and still be a compliment to the wedding photos.  They’re always so much fun and more laid back because there’s no ceremony or reception to get to and there’s no concern about the dress getting dirty before everyone sees it. Plus if you get in the water, you don’t have to worry about wearing a soaking wet wedding dress the rest of the night!!

Pete and I arrived at Sunset Cliffs about an hour before sunset, and poked around to talk about the locations we wanted to take Josel and Brad.  We started out in the grasses high above the Pacific, and through the trails of Sunset Cliffs Park.  The light was fabulous, and before long we were heading down the steep stairs to the rocks and the ocean.  Josel was a total sport and willing to get in the ocean, and while we didn’t get her all the way in, she definitely got the dress wet, and ended up laying down in a bed of algae that made for some amazing and dramatic images.  We finished up the night just after sunset and again climbed the stairs back to our cars.  Since Josel and Brad were in town for only a few days, this was a great opportunity for them to get some portraits by/in the ocean that we weren’t able to do on their wedding day.

I’m excited … OK, really excited! Alix has been a bridesmaid in many of her friend’s weddings, and I have been lucky enough to be the photographer at three of them, so when Heather emailed me in the fall to say that Alix got engaged I had all digits crossed that she and Nathan would ask me to come back to Maryland to photograph their wedding, or that they would be flying into San Diego to exchange their vows! (Hey a guy can dream can’t he!?)  It took a couple weeks, but I got the email from Alix with the subject line “He popped the question!”.

Every wedding I have photographed that Alix has been a part of has been a blast, and by this point, I feel like I’m going to a family reunion when I see all the familiar faces.  There was no way I was letting Alix get married without photographing her wedding, and luckily she felt the same way! Although Nate had escorted Alix to these weddings, I had never officially met him, so when I flew into Baltimore in April, we set up an engagement shoot which gave us both the opportunity to get to meet each other, as well as have a great time shooting in downtown Baltimore.  I had an amazing time spending the afternoon with these two, and I absolutely can’t wait to photograph their wedding in September.  The only thing that makes me sad is I believe Alix is the last of this group of amazing girls to get married.  I believe I’m going to have to convince everyone to do annual girl’s weekends in San Diego so they can all get together, and I can shoot their portraits once a year!

Alix, I am so happy for you and Nate, I’m so excited to see you both in September! Congratulations!!!!