Some of my favorite weddings are when I get to travel. The change of scenery, vibe of the environment and people, it’s all so refreshing! So when Sarah and Nick booked me for their GRACE MARILYN ESTATE WEDDING I was jumping for joy HAHA. I love going up to the SLO ( San Luis Obispo ) area. It’s so lush with greens and yellows, has some incredible wineries and the air smells great. Anyone from LA can appreciate that last one HAHAHAHA ahhh to smell in a normal sense is such a luxury to us near and in the big city. This is also a HUGE reason I love Washington, the air has character and is crisp.

The GRACE MARILYN ESTATE is beautiful, period. Named after the daughter of the owners and renovated in 2010 it sits on three acres of awesome with an AMAZING Victorian house for prep  and a incredible rustic barn built in the 1800’s down in the reception area. A quick bit of advice, a 10 min walk up the hill will yield the most EPIC images. So this is a MUST GO TO AREA.

I arrived a day earlier for the rehearsal dinner at Barrel House Brewing which was fantastic! They had live music in one section and the rehearsal dinner was held in a separate section used for distilling and barreling. So much fun. I like when I get to travel and stay for one main reason, waking up the next day and having the venue right down the street is a great feeling LOL!

Sarah and Nick couldn’t have chosen a more perfect venue for their characters. Kind, fun loving, laid back and family tied. It suited them and all of their guests to the T. The front has a huge open lawn where Nick and Sarah had cool lawn games. Frisbee Golf, Giant Jenga and few others, it was great to see so many kids having fun! Just running around and being free. You don’t get this same feeling in the city.

To say we achieved some epic images would be an understatement. There is absolutely no shortage of area to rock at GRACE MARILYN ESTATE and when you mix that with two of the sweetest humans you just get magic. We made our way up the hill and embarked on a ridge that is unseen where I’m used to. Giant Oak Trees with the sun peering through, the golden field below and two people who look at each other the way I look at my wife, kids…and pizza hahaha. At that moment it really did feel like a magical place.

The reception layout was in front of the rustic barn and we had this AMAZING teal blue uplighting. The blue accents mixed with the orange from the fire stacks created the perfect creative opportunity for those speech images. I love that blue/orange contrast and throughout the night I incorporated it. We ended the night with an INCREDIBLE shot against the wood slat wall at the side of the barn.

When I get to write about my brides and grooms wedding day and the adventure I have with them, I always get goose bumps. You know the kind where you’re reliving what happened in your head and then remember that look on someones face as the moments are happening. I love being blessed with the talent to do what I do and I absolutely loved Sarah and Nicks GRACE MARILYN ESTATE WEDDING.

 

 

Huge thanks to everyone who made this day an amazing one!

Ali Bowman of Bowman Event Consulting

Queen Bees for the killer hair / makeup work

Grace Marilyn Estate for lending itself to this new chapter in Sarah and Nicks life.

While you’re here feel free to check out some of the other incredible weddings I’ve been a part of as well as advice you’ll need when debating that First Look!

May + Mike | FCC Los Angeles Wedding

First Looks. Traditional VS Modern and why you should always choose the latter.

Leslie + Vlad | El Encanto Santa Barbara Wedding

Ryan + Trent | El Matador Malibu Engagement

Emily + Joseph | Hacienda Heights Country Club Wedding

Gail + Brian | Figueroa Mountain Wedding

I want to tell YOUR story and be you’re GRACE MARILYN ESTATE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER! Chat with me today to see if your date is still available!