If you ask an Idaho wedding photographer if they want to travel to California for a tiny beach wedding in the middle of November…. let me tell you. You WILL get an immediate yes and an email back with ten exclamation points really really fast. You might think I’m kidding, but I’m pretty sure that’s exactly how it went down when Katie asked me if I was available for her intimate wedding on the beach. Funny story, Katie and I actually met way back in the day when I was still taking newborn photos at the local hospitals in Boise. She was a hearing screener and we shared an office and one day after work we met up for cider at a local brewery. After a few hours and more than a few ciders we instantly became friends because of our dark sense of humor and love for true crime + psychological thrillers. I was so sad when she moved to California to be an audiologist but when she told me she was marrying the love of her life in San Clemente I was PUMPED to go visit her.
With fewer than 40 people, Katie created the dreamiest boho beach intimate wedding setting. To be honest, even though I’ve visited Southern California quite a few times now, I’m still very unfamiliar with the beaches and cool things to do. It was my first time renting a car, and it was definitely a little overwhelming. However, I was more than excited when I rolled into the quiet and sleepy San Clemente. She rented the dreamiest Airbnb with a rooftop overlooking the beach and the adorable red roofs of San Clemente. For some reason, the older houses close to the beach reminded me SO much of the Italian villas on the Amalfi coast, but maybe that’s just me. 😉
Katie and Steven were kind enough to truly make me feel like one of the family the entire weekend. We ate pizza the night before their wedding at the yummiest pizza place that doubled as a brewery even watched Stranger Things with their Grandma + other family members during down time. They opted for a sweet and intimate morning ceremony with only their family members and a couple close friends. I’m not even kidding, their entire ceremony lasted only 10 minutes and we had the entire beach to ourselves except for a few surfers who watched from their surfboards. The entire vibe of the day was very relaxed and entirely focused on happiness and celebration. And by celebrating I mean, we celebrated hard. They followed their morning ceremony with a family brunch with bottomless mimosas and later that night we closed down a brewery.
If you love this warm, colorful elopement, read Glenna + Alex’s intimate Snake River Canyon Idaho Elopement!
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