San Diego Wedding Archives

26Jun

Bohemian-Inspired Destination Wedding | Mikayla and Christian

By True Photography, June 26, 2017 Weddings

Mikayla and Christian’s love story began on the high seas – they met while working on the same cruise ship! After traveling the world together, they settled in New York, where Mikayla is a professional singer. For a fun, bohemian-inspired destination wedding, they came to sunny San Diego, to be married at the Twin Oaks Garden Estate. Here are a few of our favorite moments from this bohemian-inspired destination wedding.

Night portrait of bride and groom at Twin Oaks

Bride Getting Ready before wedding ceremony

We were spellbound by Mikayla's stunning Roman-style dress :)

Bride laughing with bridesmaid during getting ready photos

Bridesmaids with Bride before wedding ceremony

Solo portrait of Bride smiling before wedding ceremony

Playing with the venue's rustic Victorian aesthetic, we rotated the couch into the shade, with the garden behind. This highlighted Mikayla's dress, while creating a romantic look.

Solo portrait of groom getting ready before wedding ceremony

Groomsmen help groom get ready before wedding ceremony

Like a boss, Christian had this rustic switch knife custom-engraved with the wedding date ;)

Groom showing off cufflinks while getting ready

Outdoor wedding ceremony at Twin Oaks Garden

Groom's candid reaction to seeing bride at wedding ceremony

Bohemian bride walking down aisle on wedding day

Bride and groom hold hands during outdoor wedding ceremony

Box of Wine and hammer during wedding ceremony

After exchanging rings, Mikayla and Christian sealed a wood box to reopen in the future. The contents? A special bottle of wine!

Bride and Groom nail shut box of wine during wedding ceremony

Bride and Groom celebrate and walk down aisle after first kiss

bride and groom celebrate with first kiss during ceremony

Bride and Groom smiling at one another while sitting on vintage furniture

Solo portrait of bohemian bride and groom on wedding day

Bridal Party cheering while Wedding Couple Kiss

Funny group photo of bridesmaids and groomsmen

Groom pushes happy bride on wooden swing

Romantic bohemian wedding couple embracing under white gazebo

Black and white photo of bride and groom laughing and walking

Romantic bohemian wedding couple at rustic wedding venue

The venue's rustic highlights, such as fountains and tree swings, allowed us to be creative with new and interesting perspectives.

Group portrait of wedding couple with bridal party after outdoor wedding ceremony

Modern night portrait of bohemian wedding couple

As a fun prop for our nighttime photo shoot, we made use of the venue's vintage saloon bar (right). Exposing for the twinkle in the bar's lights, we used an off-camera flash. This illuminated Mikayla, and bounced light onto Christian with a reflector.

Outdoor Tented Wedding Reception at Rustic Venue

Fun, customized wedding reception favors at rustic wedding venue

Bohemian-inspired sweetheart table at rustic wedding venue

Bride and Groom share First Dance at Wedding Reception

Bride and groom react with laughter during wedding toast speeches during reception

Rustic Naked-style wedding cake and dessert table at reception

I do-nut :) Mikayla and Christian spoiled guests during reception with some delicious donuts and naked-style cake by Eat Your Cake Too.

Bride smashes Cake in Groom face during rustic tented wedding reception

Bride and Groom take selfie with wedding guests on dance floor

For a creative group photo, we had everyone huddle close together on the dance floor. We framed this photo around the happy couple, with their hands stretched out around the lens.

Guests dance and lift groom during open dance at wedding reception

Guests lift bride for hora dance during wedding reception

Bohemian bride and groom pose in Take-a-Pic photobooth during wedding reception

Bride and groom hold hands running under bridal party tunnel

Wedding Couple cheer during grand bubble exit after wedding reception

Bride and Groom cheer in neon green honeymoon Jeep after grand bubble exit

View more moments from Mikayla and Christian’s bohemian-inspired destination wedding.

Wedding Vendors

Venue: Twin Oaks Garden Estate
Coordinator: Twin Oaks Garden Estate
Bridesmaids Dresses: Lulus
Bakery: Eat Your Cake Too
Arch and Arbor: Moments in Bloom
Transportation: Five Star Transportation
Caterer: Twin Oaks Garden Estate
Disc Jockey: High Energy DJ
Photo Booth: Take-a-Pic Photo Booth
Custom Furniture: Twin Oaks Garden Estate

19Dec

Kate & Eric | Bali Hai Wedding

By True Photography, December 19, 2016 Weddings

Kate and Eric reside in Washington D.C., and absolutely love the city of San Diego. They have visited multiple times, and have discussed moving here in the future. So it was only fitting that their destination wedding was held in ‘America’s Finest City’.

For the wedding venue, Kate and Eric chose the picturesque Bali Hai Restaurant, an enchanting Polynesian eatery. With its tropical elements, and sweeping views of San Diego’s harbor, this location made for a very vibrant day! Grab a Mai Tai and enjoy our selection of images :)

Kate and Eric got ready at Humphrey’s Half Moon Inn, a beachy resort within walking distance of the Bali Hai.

During the “getting ready” portion, we captured stylized solo portraits of Eric and Kate.

We also made sure to capture fun details, such as Kate’s colorful kicks.

We love finding intriguing angles to capture getting ready shots.

To get this clean shot of Eric, we used a special lens to bring extra attention to him.

Colorful and Tropical bridesmaid bouquet

We love these super cool florals by Moments in Bloom.

To achieve this high-angle shot, we mounted our camera on a tripod, and used a wide-angle lens.

Bride and Groom Kiss under and arbor with flower petals

For this romantic photo, we asked guests to shower the newlyweds with flower petals. Everyone was happy to take part!

To achieve candid photos, like this one, we initially posed Kate and Eric in a specific way. Then we let their personalities take over :)

Bride and groom tropical destination wedding

In order to highlight the beautiful location, we made use of a wide-angle shot. The pier, and its leading lines, helped draw focus to this dynamic duo!

After the ceremony, there was scheduled time for us to photograph around the Bali Hai. The time was put to good use, as there are so many great spots!

In the spirit of their venue and theme, Kate and Eric gave out Polynesian mugs as party favors (above left).

Lovely wedding photo at San Diego Harbor

It’s awesome when time can be blocked out for sunset photos. The quality of light is very pretty (above).

Close up shot of diamond ring and wedding bands

For the macro ring shot above, we placed the rings (by Mark Broumand) on Kate’s mother’s clutch. This brought out their true brilliance.

For this action dance shot, we used a shutter drag technique.

Night photography of bride and groom on a pier

In the photo above, we used creative lighting to illuminate the Kate and Eric. We love sneaking out during the reception for night shots like these!

Night wedding photo in front of San Diego skyline

Congrats to Kate and Eric… We hope to see you both in SD soon!!

Wedding Day Vendors

Venue: Bali Hai
Gifts and Favors: Bali Hai
Hair & Makeup: Beauty by Stacey
Disc Jockey: Bill Calhoun Mobile Music
Lighting and Decor: Brilliant Event Lighting
Bakery: Extraordinary Desserts
Jeweler: Mark Broumand
Arch and Arbor: Moments in Bloom
Florist: Moments in Bloom
Wedding Dress: Pronovias
Coordinator: Serendipity Events
Officiant: Two Rings Wedding Officiant

27May

Scripps Seaside Forum Wedding | Angela & Kyle

By True Photography, May 27, 2016 Weddings

Angela and Kyle were married at the Scripps Seaside Forum, a beautiful venue that hugs the shores of La Jolla, California. They chose this location because they are die-hard San Diego fans, and wanted to give their guests (especially the out-of-towners) a great feel for ‘America’s Finest City’. As you can imagine, there were some pretty amazing backdrops throughout the wedding day.

While photographing, we captured a nice variety of photos with Scripps Seaside Forum in the composition, helping to tell the story of the day. We always make sure to incorporate the venue in an artistic way, like the photo above.

In the photo below, we placed Angela’s Jimmy Choo shoes in the bright sun, which brought out their maximum brilliance. The blue sky and leading lines in the background gave extra attention to these amazing kicks :)

Kyle has a fun-loving personality and a great smile. It was important for us to bring out these qualities in the photos… as well as his love for the San Diego Padres (below).

Before the ceremony, the couple got ready at the nearby Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines, an upscale resort overlooking the legendary Torrey Pines Golf Course. Scouting this location beforehand allowed us to find this epic spot for the first look. We photographed from a distance so Angela and Kyle could have a quiet moment together.

Angela and Kyle had a huge bridal party, which is not surprising, considering how fun-loving and inviting they are. It was very important for them to have ALL of their closest friends stand by them on their big day. We were more than ready to direct traffic and come up with many configurations for this large group!

Angela and Kyle’s ceremony was officiated by their Pastor, Shawn Kennedy of Existence Church.

For the photo below, we placed our camera on an extended tripod, resulting in this cool angle.

We know how much thought and effort goes into the wedding details, and look for ways to incorporate them into the photos.

Baseball has been a big part of Kyle’s life for a long time. When he and Angela first started talking about getting married, Kyle mentioned that he envisioned a full-on sports themed wedding. Angela pretended to be ok with it until they got engaged, when she extinguished those plans…or so Kyle thought! As a surprise, Angela managed to sneak in fun baseball touches throughout the day.