They were married at Longshadow Ranch Winery in Temecula. Everyone was equipped with umbrellas and Kelly and Jeff told me in no uncertain terms that they were more than willing to brave the rain in order to get beautiful images of the two of them. It turned out they didn’t need to, because after the ceremony, literally the very minute after family portraits were finished, I turned around to see watch the clouds part and the sun shine down through grey skies. I was going to get to photograph this lovely couple in some of the most amazing light I’d ever seen. I jumped up and down and squealed a little bit. I was very excited.

Kelly and Jeff took great care to create a homespun wedding that was as fun as it was charming. It was a wonderful wedding that my second shooter, Jen Grant, and I had so much fun shooting.  I was so honored to be a part of it! Thanks, Kelly and Jeff! You two are awesome! Special thanks to Mieko and Claudia from Kelly Zhang for making Kelly and her girls look absolutely gorgeous.

Kelly wanted a shot of her ring, her grandmother’s ring and her mother’s ring together. Three generations of wedding rings! I loved that.

Instead of going the traditional guest book route, Kelly and Jeff provided circles of cardstock and asked their guests to write a message on one. The circles will be turned into a Christmas garland that the couple will use to decorate their home during the holidays. I adored this idea and wish I’d thought of it myself!

The florals were provided by Kimberly’s Flowers in San Clemente. Kelly’s bouquet had gardenias in it so it smelled wonderful. It was adorned with a brooch that belonged to Kelly’s grandmother.

Instead of the usual floral centerpieces, Kelly and Jeff made yummy jam and stacked gingham-wrapped jars on each table, enough for each guest to take some home. Burlap sacks lined each table, which tied in well with the rustic feel of the venue.

Instead of cake, Kelly and Jeff served their guests cookies and milk. Brilliant. Also, the night before the wedding, Kelly baked cupcakes especially for Jeff. Yeah, I know, Kelly is my hero now, too. They are armadillo cupcakes, inspired by the armadillo groom’s cake from the movie Steel Magnolias. They were adorable.

And, as if homemade jam and milk and cookies weren’t enough of a treat, Kelly and Jeff also had chocolate boot shooters filled with port wine for all of their guests. So cute and different and everyone got to eat their shot glass. Bonus!

I’d like to thank the rainy weather for this next shot. Those clouds? Amazing.

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Here are a few of my favorites from the day.

After they were dressed, the ladies toasted to Melissa with some sparkling cider. The flower girl threw a few back to loosen up.

I love the sunshine that’s raining on the girls in this one.

On the grounds there was this one tree that stood out. It was different than the rest – maybe Maple? All of the leaves had turned so it looked like it was on fire with reds, oranges and yellows emanating from its leaves. Loved it so much.

Melissa looked so gorgeous and she was so fun to photograph!

And BJ wasn’t looking so bad himself!

I loved all of the Fall elements of this wedding. Melissa, BJ and their families had been collecting these leaves for months leading up to the wedding. I thought that was such a cool touch!

I honestly will never get over the way a bride and groom look at each other during their ceremony. There is something so special about it. Gets me every time.

Melissa had this idea of their bridal party throwing leaves on them while they shared a kiss. Who doesn’t love playing in leaves!?

Heather and I got to spend tons of time with Melissa and BJ for portraits. We got to take full advantage of the beautiful grounds the venue provided.

Heather and I were shocked when the owner of the venue walked over while we were shooting and said that no other photographer had ever utilized the forest area for portraits. It was a MUST for us, we couldn’t believe we were the first!

There was an awesome tree swing (of course – with that many trees, how could there not be a tree swing!) and Melissa and BJ were totally down for some tree swinging action. It. Was. Awesome.

Congratulations to Melissa and BJ and a big thank you again to Heather for having me along!

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I had a lot of fun with the juxtaposition of Annie’s fancy dress and shoes against the country roughness of this cabin at Lake Oak Meadows.

Annie’s bracelet was amazing!

I’m in love with this next image on the left. There’s just something so timeless about a little flower girl standing back to watch a bride get ready on her wedding day. This particular flower girl was in absolute awe of Annie.

The flower girls and ring bearers were just so sweet!

I loved all of the charming details.

Best wishes to you, Annie and Joe!

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