Back from a massive blogging hiatus with one of my favorite weddings of the year!

Back when I was in the San Diego nightlife industry, I met a photographer by the name of Arlene. Arlene reached out to connect me with Kim & Julian since she was attending the wedding as a guest and couldn't do both! We scheduled an engagement session, and 15 minutes in, I knew I’d get along with them perfectly. They were laid back, hilarious, and just rad people to photograph! Be sure to check the first five images of their San Diego engagement session at the top of the post (since I never got around to blogging their session).

Fast forward to their wedding day - I show up ultra early to start photographing details. Since Kim was getting ready at a separate location, I started shooting the grounds, and 20 minutes in, realized Kim was supposed to be there already. I shot her a text and she assured me she would be there shortly. Forty-five minutes later, Kim shows up with her crew, champagne starts pouring, and it gets a lot more interesting!

A bit later - Julian goes outside to a secluded portion of the garden and we get him setup for a First Touch. Instead of doing a first-look, they opted for a first touch and a few words prior, which ended up being pretty rad to photograph!

For their ceremony, they had their closest friends and family in a beautiful outdoor field. After, we led the bridal party down to a secluded section of the venue to get some epic portraits! Once we finished, the couple had their grand entrance, guest speeches, and finally, the dance party. After speeches, but before going inside - the entire wedding sees a blue flash in the sky. It was the Space X rocket launch from Los Angeles (see photo during the reception photos). I took Kim & Julian outside a few times for creative night portraits, took a shot with a random guy doing The Robot, and I documented the hell out of their friends and family having the time of their lives!

For photographers: I used a Nikon D5 & Nikon D850. I also used a 24-70mm f/2.8, Nikon 35mm f/1.4, and Nikon 58mm f/1.4. Flashpoints for the reception!

Enjoy!

Photographer // Escondido wedding photographer, Sage Justice

Second photographer // Kristina Cazares Neri

Venue // Ethereal Open Air Resort (Currently known as California Botanical Gardens)

Videographer // Rora Film Co

DJ & Emcee // Vox DJs

Cake // Twiggs

Floral // Flowers Direct

Makeup // Kristine Davis (makeup) & Babe Hair By B (hair)

Catering // Ethereal Open Air Resort