Big Sur, CA Intimate Wedding

Sarah and Blake had always dreamed of getting married in Big Sur, and they made that dream happen, but not without a roller coaster of an experience leading up to it. Just a few days before the wedding, a massive landslide happened north of their venue. There had already been one to the south, which meant their venue was completely inaccessible. No way in and no way out.

Luckily, Sarah and Blake had not arrived yet. Otherwise, this would have been an entirely different story.

I got the call a few days before the wedding, and their planner truly pulled off a miracle. She found a brand new venue, secured lodging for the couple, their families, and many of their guests, and somehow made the day feel seamless. I am not sure if Sarah and Blake would say it turned out better than they imagined, but I have to say it was one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever photographed.

The day felt intimate, thoughtful, and full of intention. Instead of exchanging their vows on the cliffs, which of course would have been beautiful, they ended up in a forest clearing that looked like it was pulled straight from Edward and Bella’s wedding scene in Twilight. If you know, you know. Pines surrounded them in every direction, and the light filtered through in the most cinematic way. At one point during the ceremony, I had full body chills realizing how much of a miracle it was that everything had come together the way it did.

After the ceremony, we drove north, the only way that was still open, to take their bride and groom portraits on a cliff with the ocean behind them. I wanted to make sure they still had a piece of that coastline on their wedding day. We made some time before the reception to make it happen and drove together along the Pacific Coast Highway, passing some of the most breathtaking views I’ll never get tired of seeing.

Sarah and Blake stayed calm, grounded, and joyful through the entire weekend and in the days leading up to it. No panic. No stress. Just love. It was such a reflection of who they are together. At the end of the day, the thing that mattered most was the thing that held true. They married each other.