Distance was no stranger for T + D. For these two, they battled long distance as T went through medical school and D trained as an Olympic athlete, who literally ran the distance as a skeleton athlete, sprinter, and hurdler. Through the years of long distance, they leaned on each other and cheered each other on as they pursued their dreams. So when their wedding day finally came, it was a day they were beyond excited for. T's close friend played worship as they walked down the aisle - a beautiful coastal trail in Big Sur - and they shared communion together privately after the ceremony. We then adventured to the coast, where they changed into traditional Vietnamese outfits and watched the fog moved over the mountains. After it got dark, we all returned to their Airbnb in Pebble Beach and celebrated with a tea ceremony and dinner with their family and friends. It was the perfect way to spend quality time with everyone. Check out the rest of T + D's Big Sur elopement below!
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"I wanna stand with you on a mountain
I wanna bathe with you in the sea I wanna lay like this forever Until the sky falls down on me" Those were the lyrics that played as E + K had their first dance. It couldn't have been more perfect as they swayed on top of the mountain, listening to the ocean waves crash against the rocks as the moon shone above them. And the craziest thing was, we hadn't even planned on having their first dance here. We originally were going to have their first dance on the beach, but when it was too difficult to get there and we were running out of light, I suggested having their first dance at the end of the night instead. If that isn't the most romantic way to end your wedding day, I don't know what is! Check out the rest of E + K's beautiful Big Sur elopement below. What do you do when there’s an atmosphere river (aka a ton of wind and rain) forecasted for your Tuesday elopement, and you have friends already flying halfway across the world to celebrate with you in Big Sur? You make a last minute call on Sunday to move it a day early to Monday. We had been watching the weather for a while, and it had been forecasted to rain Monday through Wednesday. But when the forecast changed 2 days before the wedding - giving us a break in the rain on Monday - we decided to move the wedding up. Many phone calls later, J + Z packed up their car to head to Big Sur the next day. The redwoods ceremony venue didn’t work out, so we pivoted to a coastal ceremony and beach picnic. But it couldn’t have worked out for the better as we drove up Highway 1 in a VW bus, watching whale spouts pop out from the ocean waves, an otter hanging out by the coast, and even a little sun peaking out from the clouds. And sure, all the details had the wrong date, the stunning embroidered jacket the bride had made herself, their engraved rings, the camping mugs, and invitations but it didn’t matter. I watched these two have the best time with their closest friends and celebrate in a way that felt so authentic to them. And now they’ll always have an awesome story to tell! Check out the rest of J + Z's Big Sur elopement below.
When it came to grand gestures, P was both subtle and brilliant at the same time. Back when it was near impossible to get Hamilton tickets, P went out of his way to get tickets for M...and her friend. He hadn't even planned on accompanying her after going through all the effort, but that ended up becoming the start of their incredible love story. When they started planning their wedding, they knew they wanted a low-key, stress-free day. One thing that was important to them was starting the day privately - just the two of them, taking in the incredible scenery together and all the little moments in between. And it was those little moments that made their day so special, like the way that M twirled P, or how P would grin from ear to ear in a private moment between the two of them. As the day winded down, they got to sit down for dinner and watch the sunset together with their family and friends. No schedule of activities, just quality time with the people they loved the most. Check out the rest of their Big Sur wedding below!
I’m only a little sad that F + A didn’t bring their sweet doodle Theo to their elopement, but it was definitely made up for by all the adventuring we got to do. We started their day in the redwoods, where F + A shared an intimate first look and said their vows to each other privately. They had a short and quick ceremony to make it all legal with their family as their witnesses, and then spent the rest of the day hiking along the Big Sur coast! We were running on the beach until we were out of breath, climbing up and down hills like it was nothing, and scaling the rocks right up against the waves. Check out the rest of their Big Sur wedding below!
How do I even begin to describe this incredible day? S + C absolutely loved spending time at the beach, so they chose to end their elopement day at sunset with their hair in the wind, feet in the sand, toes numb from the water but with the most joyous laughter and smiles. They celebrated their wedding day in a way that was so authentic to who they were - and yes, that meant jeans that C rocked as his wedding attire! Burritos on the beach (from El Charrito, my favorite local burrito spot!), popping champagne, and sunset colors gracing the sky…it doesn’t get more perfect than that. Check out the rest of S + C's Big Sur elopement!
When I found out that N and his two brothers had played elven and Gondorian warriors in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and were from Wellington, New Zealand (where Weta Workshop was born - the special effects company that innovated much of what made LOTR so incredible), I definitely nerded out quite a bit! N + A had an incredible love story that crossed countries - N was from New Zealand, and A was from Korea. They met in college 11 years ago, but parted ways when life took them to different countries. When they met back up in Hawaii, the time and place was finally right for these two to fall in love. They brought together their families from across the world for an intimate wedding in Big Sur, California. Though it wasn't the fjords and mountains of New Zealand, I definitely felt like we were walking through Rivendell as the sun streamed through the forest, creating the most beautiful light that made the day feel like it was straight out of a fairytale. And even when the clouds covered much of the sky during our last hour before sunset, we patiently waited and got to see a few quick minutes of sunset that peeked in and out of the clouds before the day ended. Check out the rest of A + N's Big Sur intimate wedding below!
There are some days when you just can't believe that what you're seeing is real - and watching the sunset with R + G was one of them. Just moments before, it was completely cloudy. We had just finished up their picnic and ran up the coastal trail for the last 30 minutes. I noticed a faint orange glow coming up from behind the clouds, and went to capture the waves behind them. The glow grew more and more vibrant until it painted the film of water left by the waves orange. It was an unforgettable moment- we were all left in marvel by the few minutes of sunset! Check out the rest of their magical Big Sur redwoods and coast elopement below.
Carmel was C + A’s happy place. They took many weekend trips here, spending time just slowing down and exploring the coast. They gathered their closest family and friends to celebrate with them in their favorite place, which luckily turned out to be a beautiful sunny day despite it raining the day before! C also always loved bridges, so Bixby Bridge was a perfect place to stop before we adventured to the coast. I ran back up the trail to get her veil just when I saw the orange colors of sunset peeking out of the clouds, and it was just absolutely breathtaking. They ended the night in the best kind of way - grabbing dinner with their loved ones at In-N-Out! Check out the rest of C + A's La Playa Carmel wedding below.
L + J met in junior college, where J had been playing minor league baseball. Though she was a little nervous to talk to him at first, he won her over and they started doing long distance while he went off to play ball. Every season, he would bring back a baseball and write a sweet note to her on it. When they got engaged, they originally thought they would have a traditional wedding. But drama ensued and they quickly were overwhelmed by the process, which was only made more difficult by a wedding vendor that took off after booking. L then stumbled upon an old classmates' wedding photos - another couple who I had photographed for their elopement here in Big Sur! She immediately fell in love and knew that this was how she wanted to get married. On a beautiful fall day, they flew with their family and a few close friends from Kansas City to California, where they all got to share in the awe of seeing the giant redwoods for the first time. It was a day so full of emotion, as L started tearing up from the moment she had her first look with her dad and brother, to the moments that seemed to stop in time when they said their vows, and even her nieces couldn't help but tear up in happiness. "This is everything I ever imagined," she said, "It couldn't have been more perfect." J signed another baseball for her - this time with their wedding date - and we headed off to the coast where she donned his baseball journey and they both got to watch a beautiful sunset together over the Pacific Ocean. Check out the rest of their Big Sur redwoods and coast wedding below!
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