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.