Loved seeing that the inspiration shoot that we did with Engaged & Inspired and Floral Theory up at Holman Ranch has been published in the latest issue of Today’s Bride magazine!
Tag Archives: carmel valley
Carmel Valley Ranch | Style Me Pretty feature | Carmel wedding photographer
You know it’s going to be a good wedding when wild deer walk along beside your car as your drive up to the venue in the morning. Carmel Valley Ranch is such a uniquely beautiful and peaceful venue and it was the perfect location for Karen & Ramsey’s wedding that was inspired by all things natural and elegant. We couldn’t be happier about the fact that Style Me Pretty just featured this wedding and highlighted all of the classic Californian beauty that filled the day. Check out the full post here to see more photos of this gorgeous couple and to find links to the killer vendor team that made this day so photogenic, including Amy Byrd, Shawn Cavlan Beauty Co. and Fionna Floral among others. Those ladies always make our job so easy and so fun!
Holman Ranch wedding | Carmel Photographer | Style Me Pretty
I can’t think of a better way to start the new year than with this feature about one of our most memorable weddings from last year. It’s always a huge honor for us to get published on Style Me Pretty, and I’m in love with all of the pastel details and olive branch elements that they chose to highlight from the day. There were countless beautiful moments and personal touches throughout the whole weekend full of celebrations, but some of my favorites included the picnic-style rehearsal dinner full of lawn games and featuring an olive oil mixing station, the mother of the bride’s stunning outfit that I intend to copy one day when and if one of my kids gets married, Yael and Dylan’s recession down the aisle as husband and wife, the most well-written and perfectly presently best man’s speech of all time that had Gabe and I dying with laughter, the father of the bride’s accordion playing that led everyone into the barn to start the dance party, and watching the happy couple dance together in an open field as the sun went down that day. It really was a wedding to remember. You can check out the full post, and the full list of talented vendors here.
Holman Ranch wedding feature | Smitten Magazine | Carmel photographer
I loved getting to re-live Kyle & Dylan’s beautiful wedding full of rustic elegance up at Holman Ranch thanks to Smitten Magazine’s recent feature. This was such a sweet couple to work with alongside Allison from Engaged & Inspired and the talented team over at Fionna Floral, and I love that we’ve kept in touch with them both ever since. Kyle’s family owns the company that make the iconic Ball mason jars, so it was beyond fitting that they used those jars throughout their design. You can see more details and highlights over at the Smitten Magazine feature here.
sheena & adam | holman ranch | carmel wedding
This was a wedding that affirmed all of the reasons why I had to become a wedding photographer. After I had spent the day documenting this couple having the time of their lives in a location as beautiful as Holman Ranch, I drove home well aware of the fact that my job is pretty close to perfect for me. I love feeling a part of something as honest, inspiring and joyful as a wedding day unfolding, and this was a day that unfolded without a single hitch. The day was filled with lots of laughter, from the ceremony, (when the bride was asked to take her bride) to the speeches, (when a Lithuanian folktale and its theme was improvised and a Hogwart’s-inspired incantation was recited) to the dancefloor (when a rockstar guest became the pole for the bride to dance around.) Sheena and Adam, you two seem so perfect for each other and I know there will be a whole lot of happiness in your future together!
vacation | bernardus lodge & carmel valley ranch
I just got back from a 24 hour vacation to Carmel Valley to celebrate seven years of marriage to my man and I am one happy girl right now. With two kids and two businesses, it is so important to make the time that we never feel like we have, to just get away to play and relax, and Carmel Valley was the ideal place for that. I even forced myself to let my big camera take a vacation too (well, for most of the time at least) and I just used my phone to document the fun. We checked in super early at the Bernardus Lodge and headed straight for the hills of the Garland Ranch Regional Park. It was one of the most beautiful runs that I can remember, going through mossy oak covered paths, up to waterfalls, ponds and majestic views out over the valley. After that we felt like we had truly earned our relaxation time on the gorgeous grounds of the Bernardus that we felt like we had all to ourselves. We hung out poolside, in the massive hot tub and in their eucalyptus steam room that I wanted to take home with me. The next day we played bocce ball and explored the town a little before heading up to the beautifully re-designed Carmel Valley Ranch for lunch and one last cocktail before heading home in time to pick up the kids from school. It really was a perfect trip, one that we hope to repeat again in a year!
jenny & jef | holman ranch wedding | carmel
This might break the record for longest blog post, but I have a hard time letting beauty go undocumented. Jenny and Jef are one of those truly radiant couples, and then they chose a venue as stunning as Holman Ranch in Carmel, so there was a whole lot of beauty for me to capture that day. Jenny and Jef are Carmel locals and they fell in love with this property the moment they saw it. Holman Ranch creates this amazing atmosphere that’s intimate yet expansive and rustic yet elegant, and that is exactly the feeling that Jenny and Jef wanted to create for their guests that day. You really do feel like you’re a world away up on that warm hill overlooking the Carmel Valley. The entire day felt so relaxed, as I arrived to find Jenny wandering the gardens to find fresh flowers for her hair while the guys were out for a morning surf. The ceremony felt equally casual and personalized as they had their dear friend as their officiant, a song performed by another friend, their rings passed from guest to guest so that each person could bless them in their own way, and vows that they each wrote themselves. After cocktail hour guests were served incredible farm fresh food by Paradise Catering and seated at family style tables. I love that dessert was a variety of local pies from Gizdich Ranch instead of a formal cake. The party then moved out to the barn area for dancing, hanging out by the fire pits, playing horse shoes and joining in on the fun of Jenny’s homemade photo booth. I have to thank my wonderful assistant Marisa for her skills and her spirit, and Karissa and Heidi from Coastside Couture for bringing Jenny and Jef’s vision to life so well. That night as Marisa and I were zoomed down a wooded path on the back of a golf cart to reach our car, we couldn’t help feeling elated and inspired by the enchantment of the whole day.
