When I first moved to San Diego, I had the pleasure of photographing a wedding at Twin Oaks Garden Estate. It immediately became one of my favorite venues! I was even fortunate enough to get married at one of their sister venues, Ethereal Open Air Resort. These wedding venues are known for their lush green gardens, classy elegance with the perfect touch of vintage…and we can’t forget all the twinkly evening lights! (My FAV). So when Amber & Mark told me they would be getting married at Twin Oaks, I was so excited. They are such a beautiful couple, inside and out AND they were going to tie the knot at an undeniably beautiful location (that combo is every photographer’s dream)!
I had the best time getting to know Amber & Mark during their engagement session. Pat & I went on a little double date with them after the session and we totally fell in love with these two right from the start. It felt like we were long time friends and I knew their wedding would be a ton of fun. From the moment we walked in the doors on the morning of the wedding, there was a joy that filled the air. Not one ounce of stress! Amber welcomed me with a big hug and so did her parents, who I absolutely love. I work with them at the Union Tribune and nearly every time I passed by her mom, I couldn’t help but chit chat with her about fun wedding details.
We jumped right in to photographing the details shots while the girls were finishing up their hair and makeup. I could have photographed her details for hours! Amber had the prettiest “something blue”, which were those gorgeous heels of hers AND she brought some sparkly Kate Spade shoes for the reception. Genius! ;) The entire day was full of special little touches that made the day memorable and unique. One of my favorite moments on Mark & Amber’s wedding day was their “first look”. Their entire bridal party was watching in the distance and as soon as Mark turned around and saw Amber for the first time in her stunning dress, he totally lost it…which of course made everyone who watched this happen immediately smile from ear to ear AND grab their tissues to dry their eyes too!
The night came to an end and it always feels like wedding days goes by way too fast. Luckily, we were able to document each special moment and we teamed up with Jason & Mary from At Last Wedding Films to premier a same day edit for Amber & Mark and their family and friends at the end of the reception. To no surprise, everyone was blown away by the film. These two always do incredible work so don’t forget to watch their masterpiece at the end of this post! Enjoy some of my (many) favorites from this unforgettable wedding day. <3
Thank you to the incredible vendors who made this wedding possible. It was a pleasure working with all of you!
Coordinator | Serena Cook – Twin Oaks
Ceremony Venue | St. Mark’s Catholic Church
Reception Venue + Catering | Twin Oaks Garden Estate
Hair | Noelia Hernandez
Makeup | Shalamar Rogers
Gown Designer | Allure Bridals
Gown Retailer | PreVue
Groom + Groomsmen Attire | Robert’s Men’s Suits
Florist | Event Supplier Inc. – Mercedes Moreno
DJ/MC | Eric – Extreme DJs
Jewelry | Unicorn Jewelry
Invitations | Jade Molina
Transportation | Alive Limo
Wedding Cake | Extraordinary Desserts
Dessert Bar | Maribaby
Donuts | Foster’s Family Donuts
Videography | At Last Wedding Films
Photography | Charissa Magno Photography
OMG! I loved everything about this wedding! You did an AMAZING job capturing this couples memories especially their first look. The grooms tears were just sooo beautiful. WOWOWOW! Such a great job.
So bright, clean, minimalist images – beautiful work! That first look, so so sweet! Your detail shots are incredible.
Very beautiful wedding and you captured it so well. Every detail and so many great moments that will be cherished forever!