San Diego Wedding Photographer | Evan Bishop Photography | Southern California & Destination Wedding Photojournalist » Evan Bishop Photography is a Southern California wedding photographer based in San Diego. Specializing in wedding photojournalism and destination events.

On a cloudy, then rainy, then misty day in Maryland Erin and John were married.  Through it all their excitement and joy never waned.  We were lucky to have clear skies while Erin and her girls got ready and took advantage of the soft overcast light to shoot some portraits at her Mom’s home in Baltimore prior to the ceremony.  Then it was off to the church where during their ceremony the skies opened up, but then cleared to a light mist after the ceremony was complete.  We wandered the grounds and snuck into the old chapel for some more portraits before heading to the  Country Club of Maryland for their reception.   Click on the image above, or any of the thumbnails below to see a few of my favorite images from their day, and keep your eyes open for their slideshow on the podcast to be posted soon!

Erin and John, thank you so much for including me in your wedding plans and sharing your day with me!

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.

My good friend and fellow photographer Pete Redel came into San Diego not only to help me out on a wedding, but to shoot a wedding of his own at USD’s and the Dana Hotel in Mission Bay.  Pete met Josel and Brad at a bridal show in Washington, DC last year and ended up shooting their engagement photos in DC while the Cherry Blossoms were in full bloom.  They were so happy with his work, they asked him to photograph their upcoming wedding in San Diego.  Since I was photographing Jennifer and Doug’s wedding the following week in San Diego I got the opportunity to shoot with Pete two weeks in a row!  As an added bonus, Brenda Swann of Swann Soirees was Josel and Brad’s wedding coordinator. Now, Brenda and I met via twitter, and have been chatting for some time now and looking forward to the opportunity to work together.

Josel and Brad got ready at the Dana Hotel in Mission Bay.  I floated between helping photograph the girls getting ready and getting some pre-ceremony shots of Brad and his guys.  After everyone was ready, we headed over to USD for their wedding at the Immaculata.  The Immaculata is such a beautiful church and after the ceremony the grounds around USD were perfect for portraits with josel and Brad as well as their entire bridal party.  Heading back to the Dana from the ceremony and portraits, I was amazed to see what a transformation had occurred in the brief time we were gone.  Brenda and her company as well as the Dana had totally transformed the outdoor area for a romantic cocktail hour before heading inside for the rest of the night.

In addition to our coverage, the guys from Starcross’d Films were there to document the day and provided a same day edit that was outstanding!  Pete and I had an amazing time photographing Josel and Brad’s wedding, and I was so happy to finally get to work with Brenda Swann.

Check out a few of my images from the day below.  Thanks so much to Pete for asking me to help him out on this wedding, and to Josel and Brad for being an amazing couple to work with!

Wedding Planning & Coordinator: Swann Soirees

Videography: Starcross’d Films

Ceremony Location: Immaculata; USD Campus

Reception: The Dana Hotel, Mission Bay

Custom designed wedding stationary: Love at First Invite

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!

Kelly and Scott held their wedding at the beautiful Rancho Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano, California. Kelly and her girls got ready in one of the casitas with Scott and the guys in the same villa a floor below.  Since Kelly and Scott didn’t want to see each other before the ceremony, I took advantage of the awesome setup to get a couple unique portraits of the two of them on the different levels of the house.  It was really fun to shoot the two of them and listen to them talk about the wedding without actually seeing each other.  After everyone was ready it was a short walk from the villa to the ceremony site where all their guests were seated and waiting.  It was a truly beautiful day and I don’t think anyone could have asked for more perfect weather.  It’s one of those Southern California days where the sky is pure deep cerulean blue without a cloud in site.

After the ceremony we took a quick stroll down by the lake at Rancho Capistrano for some portraits with Kelly and Scott as well as their bridal party.  This place really is a fantastic location for weddings, and there were so many places we didn’t get to explore because we had to get back to the reception.  Kelly and Scott were introduced to a standing ovation and went straight into their first dance.  After toasts and dinner Kelly and Scott hit the dance floor and didn’t leave the rest of the night!  This was a group of people ready to dance, and virtually no one was left off the dance floor.

To see images from Kelly and Scott’s Rancho Capistrano wedding click on the image above, or any thumbnail below.  Keep your eyes on the podcast as I’ll be posting a complete slideshow from their wedding over there soon.

Family and friends can sign in to the Pictage event to see all the images from their fantastic day!

Kelly and Scott, thank you so much for being an amazing couple and trusting me with making the images for your wedding day!  Congrats!!!!