Yazmin + Andres were married at intimate garden wedding in the heart of San Diego. They chose the George W. Marston House in Balboa Park as their venue which made the most amazing backdrop for their reception and ceremony. When Yazmin inquired with me it was my first time hearing about the Marston house and I had no clue it was used a wedding venue! It’s the perfect Balboa Park wedding venue for an intimate wedding.

Yazmin started her day getting ready at a nearby airbnb with the coolest cement walls and natural light. She blew my mind when she walked out with her beautiful floral wedding dress by BHLDN and I was SO excited to capture it and all of her thoughtful flatlay details. Her mom helped her get into her dress and then we headed over to the venue where Andres was getting his flowers on with his mom.

The couple had the most beautiful ceremony surrounded by their closest family, friends and the most gorgeous baby’s breath filled floral pieces I’ve seen! One of my favorite parts of the details this day was all of the Chinoiserie pattern everywhere done in the most tasteful way!

After the ceremony we explored the grounds taking all the photos and then Yazmin + Andres spent the rest of the evening taking polaroid photos, eating yummy tacos, and hanging out with all of their guests!

This classic Redlands Asistencia wedding did NOT disappoint! Joseph and Melissa are two of the kindest people I have ever met and I was so happy to be able to capture their beautiful micro wedding.  I love shooting micro weddings in Redlands not only because it’s my hometown but also because there are so many gorgeous photo spots!

The day started with Joseph and Melissa getting all ready inside of the historic building. They then shared the sweetest first look hidden away in the back of the Asistencia where they could spend some alone time together before the ceremony. After the ceremony the newlyweds shared a meal (which was breakfast, HOW FUN!) with their family at a HUGE, beautifully decorated, family style table. We snuck off for some mid-day newlywed portraits and explored all around the venue in the process. Afterwards the couple danced with each other and their parents, and then spent the rest of the evening hanging out with their closest friends and family.

Joseph and Melissa’s wedding was my second Micro Wedding partnering with the amazing Styled Hwy team and once again the decor, venue, makeup, hair, and everything else didn’t disappoint! The Asistencia wedding venue is so perfect for micro weddings. It’s a great size for a sweet and secluded family filled day, has the prettiest photo backgrounds and beautiful getting ready locations. There was just something about the closed in-ness (if that makes sense) of the Asistencia in the fact that it’s located on a busy street but once you’re inside the walls you are transported to the sweetest intimate wedding ever!

Find out more info about how I shoot weddings here: Wedding info!

One thing I absolutely LOVE is shooting in the desert. There is a huge variety of desert-y places we can choose from for your engagement session or your elopement that are all local to southern California. The light in our local desert landscapes is just perfect for a golden hour elopement or engagement session and the blue hour light once the sun goes down is equally mesmerizing and beautiful. Seriously, if you haven’t had a chance to venture out to our deserts yet, what are you waiting for?! Here are a few examples of California desert engagement sessions to give you an idea of where we can go for your session! I also have many more desert locations up my sleeve so don’t be afraid to reach out and we can plan your session or your perfect desert elopement.

The Sand Dunes

There are multiple areas in southern California that are PERFECT for engagement session that have beautiful sand dunes. I know of quite a few in different areas, including some by the beach (perfect for summer time) and even a secret little sand dune spot! They’re so fun to run down and play in all day and every sand dune session I’ve done has always been so full of goodness PLUS we get to go barefoot the whole time!!

Palm Springs Windmills

I love shooting here, theres so many windmill areas we can explore and get those pretty shots you see all over instagram! The only thing is oh man it gets windy (duh) so just be prepared with a cute hair clip or hat and some chapstick to combat those dry winds!

Joshua Tree

I think it’s safe to say that no Southern California desert photo session favorites list would be complete without including Joshua tree! There is so much variety within the park (if you go here you definitely NEED a permit) BUT there are also some gorgeous hidden gems outside of the National Park that make great photo backdrops including some of the prettiest Air bnbs ever! We can even stay out late to get some photos of the stars.

Abandoned Places!

Yup, all the abandoned things! Our local deserts are FULL of them and if you’re careful, there are tons of really neat abandoned things in the desert that make amazing photo session backgrounds. I’m constantly scouting for them and I love that they’re ever changing due to the weather and human influence.

Desert Overlooks!

I feel like locations like this speak for themselves. This is one of my favorite spots in Southern CA for an adventure session. I love coming here to explore and there are endless photo opportunities at this particular spot including some fake little sand dunes AND slot canyons!

There are seriously SO MANY MORE spots I know of that one blog post couldn’t possibly cover them all! Reach out to plan your dream desert elopement or engagement session!