Garrapata Beach Elopement
Claudia and Avery Eloped this week in Carmel, California, with both their best friends, all the love in the world for each other, and nothing but laughter. We met at a local Airbnb downtown, and I captured them both through their getting ready and first look among their friends. We adventured to the cliffs where their friends led them through heartfelt vows; they celebrated with a champagne spray and shots. We then said goodbye to their friends and had an hour to explore Garrapata Beach for couples portraits and their first dance on the beach. They had the most beautiful, heartfelt day and I felt so lucky to be a part of it.
K & G booked me for two-day wedding coverage over their wedding weekend in Big Sur. I had so much fun getting to hang with them the day before their wedding for portraits; It’s always so nice to be able to do portraits in a relaxed way . This allowed K & G to really get to know me and relax on their wedding. K allowed me to really just document most of her day which allowed so much opportunity to be creative, have a relaxed loose timeline without rushing from one thing to the next. I loved how they utilized the Wind and Sea property with most of their wedding day happening outside. Using the grassy lawn for the ceremony, the deck for dancing and cocktails, and the fire pit lawn for beautiful farm-style dining. It’s exactly how I think the property should be used.
When B reached out to me, his immediate love of vintage cars came through. His question was how he could include a vintage Porsche during his engagement session and I connected him to Monterey Touring Vehicles locally. When he showed up with this beauty I was sooo excited, their willingness to sit down in the dirt and drive a little farther really paid off. Their shoot feels so editorial to me, and I was so excited they chose me for this one!
Deetjens will always be my absolute favorite place to photograph eloping couples. The history, roaming cats, old leaded windows, unique styling and natural light make it such a fun place to start a wedding day. I loved that J +K also appreciated Deetjens and had stayed there before ! We stopped at the redwoods on the way to their ceremony on the coast, where their friends met up with us for the most windy and beautiful ceremony where her best friend and now husband dueled post ceremony. We ended the night at the beach overlooks as the sun set and it was absolutely beautiful !!