Beyond Traditional
Exploring Creative Wedding Options
With weddings on the rise, there's a wonderful abundance of ways to host your celebration now. It's no longer just the traditional approach that feels like the only path. Allow me to help by gently breaking down a few distinct wedding options for you. This can help guide you towards what might be the perfect fit, or perhaps inspire you to take bits and pieces from each to create something completely unique to your love story. Let’s begin crafting your story.
Courthouse Wedding
Over the past few years, I've noticed a rise in the trend of courthouse weddings. The very same courthouse where you obtain your marriage license often provides the heartfelt opportunity to hold your ceremony right there. And simply because it's a public setting, it absolutely doesn't mean you have to compromise on anything truly meaningful.
Throughout California, we are blessed with a collection of truly beautiful courthouses that just might inspire you to consider this simple option. If you prefer to stay close to home, we even have three stunning courthouses right here in our area. Many couples who choose a courthouse ceremony still host a wonderful reception or an intimate gathering with loved ones afterward. If maximizing your budget without sacrificing beauty is a priority, this is certainly an option worth exploring.
Local Destination Elopement
I know you might be wondering, "What exactly is a local destination elopement?" Well, allow me to share an incredibly exciting, and perhaps one of my very favorite, options with you! To start off, an elopement is a small ceremony that usually includes just the couple and myself as the photographer. Having such a small group of us allows us to go anywhere we want with no limitations. Now this is where it gets exciting.
Being here in California, we are so incredibly fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. So many people travel from afar just to experience our stunning landscapes. With that in mind, we have an abundant list of breathtaking natural settings where you can truly elope. Just like with a courthouse wedding, many couples choose to celebrate with a reception or intimate dinner with loved ones afterward. The possibilities are truly endless, and you don't have to travel far at all to find a spectacular location.
Destination Elopement
This is often what comes to mind for most couples when they envision an elopement: the incredible opportunity to journey anywhere in the world, making the options truly boundless. To begin, the essence of an elopement remains beautifully simple: it will be just the two of you, along with myself as your photographer, capturing every intimate moment. To help inspire your location choice, let's start by exploring some wonderful local possibilities.
If you're dreaming beyond California's borders, we can explore breathtaking states like Colorado, Arizona (imagine the Grand Canyon!), Washington, Oregon, Alaska (with its majestic glaciers!), New York, or even Nevada (sin city Las Vegas!). The list truly becomes boundless. Should your vision stretch outside the country, we could consider enchanting places like Mexico, the dramatic landscapes of Scotland, the romance of Italy, the bustling energy of Tokyo, or the vibrant beauty of Latin America—the possibilities continue. With so many incredible places to choose from, the only challenge then becomes choosing just one.
Micro Wedding
The concept of a micro wedding gained significant popularity during the recent pandemic, though it was a lesser-known option before then. What sets a micro wedding apart? It's essentially a traditional wedding ceremony, but with an intimate guest list, typically fewer than 50 attendees. This smaller scale is intentional, allowing for a truly personal and heartfelt celebration. An added benefit is that a more limited guest count opens up a much wider array of unique and intimate venue possibilities.
Wedding
Traditional weddings often involve a beautiful ceremony followed by a lively reception, sometimes hosting up to 300 guests. In my experience, if you genuinely wish to immerse yourselves and fully enjoy every moment of your big day, it is highly recommended to hire a wedding coordinator. So many intricate elements contribute to a wedding's magic, and you certainly don't want to find yourselves "working" your own celebration. Plus, coordinators have cultivated wonderful relationships with countless venues and vendors, and they can guide you in bringing the wedding of your dreams to life.
Here to Help
With so many wonderful ways to host your wedding, I know it can feel a little overwhelming. Please know I am genuinely here to help in any way I can. If you'd love to talk through some of the options you're considering, I'm more than happy to schedule a time to meet. I'd love to share my experience and insights, hoping to gently guide you toward choosing the perfect wedding option that truly feels like you.
