Tag Archives: rustic

Devine Ranch wedding inspiration | Santa Cruz photographer | Style Me Pretty feature

Gabe and I had such an amazing experience working with this team of creative and hard-working friends within the wedding industry to bring this inspiration shoot to life. Laurel from Esla Events conceptualized, designed and co-styled the shoot and I love that she wanted to show a natural, quiet, and slightly understated wedding style while focusing on some of the process and movement involved in an event, rather than just sticking with static images. Devine Ranch was the perfect location for the shoot thanks to grandeur of the spaces, the horses all over the property, the stone fireplaces, the lovely barn, and all of the sweeping valley views. Devine Ranch is a private estate that’s just opened up as a wedding venue and we’re definitely hoping to shoot lots of weddings there in the future. There is inspiration on every single acre of that property, and the owners made us feel so welcomed and at home there. We have to thank Shannon from OTL Vintage Rentals, Fionna Floral, Skyla Arts and all 4 of our awesome models for making this shoot such a beautiful one. You can see the full feature and the the full list of vendors here on SMP: http://www.stylemepretty.com/little-black-book-blog/2014/06/03/rustic-ranch-wedding-inspiration/

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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.

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courtney & dan | river highlands ranch wedding | preview

This was the wedding that made me want to turn full country, buy a horse and live happily ever after the at a place like the Reid Ranch. All I can say is that I absolutely adore this couple and I loved every second of their gold country wedding at the River Highlands Ranch. A big thanks to Kendra from Pfieffer Event Planning for making this day a photographer’s dream. Much more to come…

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lara & anthony | engagement session | santa cruz

I think this has to be my new favorite engagement session…and that would explain why I’ve included just about every single photo from that session into this post. This was one of those fortuitous and inspiring days and I loved the company I was able to spend it with. Things didn’t seem so promising at the start though, as I had arrived early to find a huge fog bank moving towards our location. I was sure that within minutes the blue skies would turn grey and poor Lara would freeze in her summer dress, but thankfully we were able to start sooner than planned and the fog stayed at the perfect distance and diffused the light in the most amazing way and only started to sweep in just as we were packing up.

I’m convinced that there is no better way to start an engagement session than with a tandem bike. I loved all of the props that Lara and Anthony brought to the day, like their vintage blanket and custom banner, but my favorite one was the old frame that Lara randomly found on the ground when we were shooting near some hay bails. It was such a perfect fit for their vintage-inspired style that they’re planning on using it at their wedding too. Double score. Props can’t make a picture though, but personalities can, and Lara’s and Anthony’s definitely did. They both showed their sweetness, their humor and their love…and they could go from sultry to goofy in two seconds flat. I blame those two personalities and their photogenic ways for making it so hard to choose favorites and to keep my blog post brief.

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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!

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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.

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