Welcome! My name is Charissa, and my husband, Pat and I are full time wedding photographers based in San Diego, California. We specialize in romantic destination weddings throughout the US and beyond. We absolutely love travel, adventure and connection - especially with our amazing couples. I am continually humbled to be given the incredible privilege of being invited into the lives of extraordinary people.
Pat & I have photographed over 100 weddings together and every day, we strive to love and serve our couples well. It’s those honest moments and raw emotions while telling a love story that really fuels us as artists. When we’re not behind our cameras, you’ll most likely find us checking out the new foodie spots in town, snuggling up with our dog or gathered around a table with family and friends.
Grab yourself a cup of coffee (or if you’re like me, a yummy iced vanilla latte) & let’s get to know each other a bit! I’m a wife to my college sweetheart, & a puppy momma to my sweet fur-baby girl, Nala. I grew up playing basketball with my three older brothers & I love me some good jams to vibe out to. I’m terrible with directions but new adventures fuel my soul. I once tried to convince my husband that we should sell our house & travel the world. I’m a sucker for trying new foodie spots in town, but that will never beat a good home cooked meal with loved ones, gathered around a table with a room full of laughter, creating new memories. I’m a San Diego & destination wedding photographer, but growing up, I was totally convinced I was gonna be a teacher one day. Instead, I found myself climbing the corporate ladder and working at a soul-sucking 9-5 job, dreaming of that glorious day when I would be able to quit & go full-time in my wedding photography business. I longed to live a life of freedom & fulfillment, spending my days doing something that brought me joy. It’s probably a given, but I’m obsessed with documenting moments & helping others. Today, my husband & I are full-time wedding photographers & I get to wake up each day doing what I love. But the best part? I get to teach aspiring photographers how to do the same!
Sending lots of virtual hugs your way. Let the fun begin! After you’ve found the perfect venue and your date has been secured, it’s time to schedule your engagement session and get those “Save the Dates” out!
Finding the perfect wedding photographer is hard. I remember scouring the web, in search of someone whose photos made me really FEEL something. Someone who I felt like I could trust, but who could also be a friend. I mean, it’s kind of a big deal having to choose someone to capture these super important, once-in-a-lifetime moments.
If you stumbled onto my website in search of a just another vendor to show up, take some pictures for a couple hours and leave…you’ve probably come to the wrong place. My clients are more than just clients. Most of my amazing brides end up becoming life-long friends. After years of experience, I’ve realized that there are certain things that every bride deserves, and I decided not to offer anything less than that. This is why I only offer packages that I am confident will allow for the absolute best wedding experience and nothing less.
+ Spend time with your family and friends & to be fully present in the moment.
+ Not feel rushed on your wedding day.
+ Leave a legacy.
+ Have a little time alone with your husband, away from the rush and the noise.
+ Have beautiful portraits of the two of you that you’ll show off to your grand-daughter one day.
+ Have a photographer that feels more like a bridesmaid than a vendor.
+ Have those unstaged, imperfect and real moments captured, because they always tell the best stories.
+ Look back at your photos and remember the emotions you felt in that moment, not how badly you wanted to be done with those awkward poses.
....Because the only kind of “cheese” you deserve on your wedding day should be paired with a good wine.
If you think we’d be a good fit, drop me a note with your wedding date & details and I’ll send you my pricing guide & let you know if I’m available! I only accept a certain amount of weddings per year so I can best serve each of my couples. If you’d like me to reserve your wedding date, I require a 50% deposit from your chosen package and a signed contract. Then it’s officially official! The planning and fun begins. First…your engagement session!
Your engagement session will be FUN, I promise! If you decide to have me as your wedding photographer, this is the time I really get to know you and your hubby-to-be! I walk you through all the poses so you feel comfortable and natural in front of the camera. We’ll also chat the whole time and get to know each other so much better! By the time the wedding comes, you’ll know exactly what to expect and the trust that we built during that first session will allow me to capture your love in the most genuine form.
I hear ya! That's why I have put together a complete Wedding Guide for all my brides with tips, resources and the best advice I got while preparing for my own wedding just last summer! I'll walk you through how to create the perfect wedding day timeline that will allow you enough time for photos and most importantly, enough time to enjoy each moment on your special day.
You wake up on your wedding day. The day has finally come and you are ready and excited to marry your prince charming. I can’t wait to be by your side to document your love story and I truly consider it such an honor to create lasting memories every time you look back on these moments for the rest of your life.
Let’s go get you married!!
You believe in building a marriage more beautiful than the wedding.
Your texts usually consist of smiley faces or emojis.
Your groom is a class act and
has great style.
You wear your heart on your sleeve & will probably ugly cry at least once on your wedding day.
You are adventurous & don’t like settling for what is expected.
You have a heart for others & always want people to feel welcome & taken care of.
You love all the little details, but don’t get too caught up in them.
You'd rather have real, honest moments over the ones staged to perfection.
You’re game to sneak away with your groom for some sunset photos & make time to soak in the moment.
You made it through all of these. Girl, you are TOTALLY my bride!!
Kind words from: KRISTINA + DAVID
My Fiancé and I couldn't be happier with our engagement session and the photos we received! Charissa is not only the sweetest person you will ever meet but also professional, flexible, and a great director. She makes you feel so comfortable during the process and surpassed my already high expectations! She is so talented and creative I can't wait to see what she comes up with for our wedding day!
I found Riss on Instagram and I fell in love. I showed her work to my (now) husband and he was also in awe. However, he and my mother were slightly skeptical about bringing a photographer from California that we had never met, all the way to Boston. But I knew what Riss & Pat were capable of from the first look at their photos. I remember when they arrived the morning of the wedding. Everyone immediately fell in love with them! My wedding party and family thought that they were wonderful and were impressed by their professionalism and enthusiasm. They made taking pictures so much fun!
Kind words from: LOULA & KOSTA
Riss was the epitome of flawless, running around, getting different angles, upping the energy, directing us, and the list goes on. She can see beauty in everything and she knows exactly how to capture the light. Working with her and Pat was a dream, much like our pictures. I am obsessed! I keep looking at them over and over again. They have an amazing eye and love what they do. You can tell that they have a passion for it, because it reflects in the beauty of their work. Every time I look at my wedding pictures I fall in love. It literally looks like something out of a wedding magazine! Their skill and passion translates into the images they produce.
There simply are not words to describe how amazing Charissa is. Not only is she the most genuine, sweet, and creative girl you have ever met, she is also a true professional to the core. Charissa is the perfect balance between personable and professional - she creates a relaxed environment where you can be yourself and obtain a true reflection of who you are as a couple, while at the same time works tirelessly to get the most perfect shots. After working with Charissa and Pat, I couldn't have imagined going with anyone else to do our photos.
Kind words from: HOLLY & ADAM
My husband and I are not from San Diego so when we were planning our wedding, we did not know where to begin looking for a photographer. So as any good millennial does, I took to social media. On Instagram is where I found Charissa and after seeing some of her work, I contacted her and we fell in love with her easy going, sweet, professional attitude. Fast forward to wedding day and everything went off without a hitch, Charissa worked her magic with a not so cooperative crowd (always opt for her package that includes a second photographer). She worked the crowd (our families) like a champ and as promised, got all of our "must have" shots. Her work was impeccable. Editing was incredibly fast and thorough and her vision is simply amazing. Her access to online albums and ordering make access to her pictures so easy for everyone. She's such a genuine sweetheart to work with. We were blessed to have found her, and can't wait for the next excuse to use her as a photographer.
Kind words from: MILYNA & ROMELO
Kind words from: CASSANDRA & DEREK
Serendipity — this is the best word to describe how my husband and I found Charissa and Pat. What started out as a simple coworker referral turned out to be an incredible friendship. Shortly after I reviewed Charissa’s amazing work on her website, I knew I had to have her as my wedding photographer. I showed my husband samples of her amazing photos and my husband was instantly sold. The conversation in our first meeting with them was filled with stories, laughs, and of course, our upcoming wedding details. In those moments, we instantly knew that they'd be more than just our photographers, they were going to be lifelong friends. Our wedding day couldn’t have been more perfect and we owe a great deal of our experience to Charissa and Pat’s professionalism. They were on time, well prepared, and most importantly, fun. They kept the day rolling along on schedule without ever making us feel rushed — how that’s possible I’m not quite sure, but like I said, the day was perfect. My husband and I still receive compliments as to how wonderful Pat and Charissa were throughout the entire experience. Lastly, the photos we received were nothing short of magical and exactly what we hoped for. I would recommend them to anyone and everyone who wants amazing photos, but even more so wants to work with amazing people.
It's no doubt that memories are priceless but when you're looking around for someone to capture one of the most important days of your life, you want someone who can bring more than just their camera to the table! I can't speak for what every couple is looking for so I'll say what I was in search for. Someone who loved mine and my husband's story just as much as we do, someone who is genuine, responsive and puts you at ease immediately with just their smile. Charissa was all these things and more! She was extremely professional and passionate from our first email and Skype session. Our wedding day was picture perfect because Charissa was a game player and completely there for us. Anyone can take a photo but a true photographer and talent like Charissa's is once in a lifetime!
Kind words from: SUSIE & SAM
Charissa and Pat are first and foremost great people, which makes them a blast to work with. My husband and I had a Fourth of July wedding in Hawaii, and I had always wanted a sunset photoshoot at the beach for my wedding. However, our venue was not near the ocean, so I knew we weren't going to be able to get sunset pictures that day. Fortunately, Charissa and Pat were able to do a day-after-wedding photoshoot with us at the beach! There was a beautiful Hawaiian sunset that day, and Charissa was able to capture some gorgeous shots!! She was so good at telling us what poses to do and came up with some really unique shots. Needless to say, my sunset wedding picture dreams became a reality! Our pictures were sent very quickly and came out beautifully! Charissa has an eye for creativity, and we love her style of photography in capturing such vivid colors. It was so hard to choose which pictures we wanted to put on our wedding thank you's and on display in our house!
Kind words from: CHRISTI & BRANDON