Melissa & BJ had a beautiful Fall-inspired wedding at Temecula Under the Oaks. I had such a fun time shooting their portraits in this totally amazing woodsy setting. Click here to see Part I of their wedding day. So looking forward to shooting another wedding or session sometime soon in a nature setting like this one!

Melissa and BJ- so lovely.

The wedding party.

A couple details shot by Heidi Ryder, my lovely second shooter for the day.

I love Melissa’s sassy side!

A definite favorite bride and groom portrait of the entire year…

A second favorite. How amazing is this place?? So happy to shoot here! (Even with the gigantic spiderwebs, poison oak and random bugs…)

Oh… another favorite.

A giant tree swing at a wedding? Yes, please.

Love.

The rings.

The toasts.

The first dance. <3

Melissa & BJ- I am so incredibly happy for you! I had such a great time photographing your wedding and wish you all the best for your future together. Hope Hawaii was amazing!

Melissa and BJ are just that kind of perfect couple you see and say to yourself, “Wow. They were made for each other.” I met Melissa in college back in 2003-ish and have always known her to be kind, genuine, lovely and such a positive presence. When she called me earlier this year to tell me she was engaged, I was so happy for her and knew that this guy had to be pretty special in order to win her heart. I wasn’t able to meet BJ until the wedding day, but I quickly saw that Melissa had chosen the right man to spend the rest of her life with. She absolutely glowed when she looked at him, and he looked back at her with equal admiration and adoration.

Their wedding was a true celebration of two great families and groups of friends being united by a wonderful couple. It took place the beautiful Temecula Under the Oaks. This venue was SO much fun because it in no way felt like it exists in Southern California. I was so inspired by the woodland landscape and can’t wait to shoot in more places like this. Plus, Melissa & BJ were SUCH amazing models… Heidi and I had so much fun shooting their portraits because they had no hesitation doing the quirky things we asked them to do in this amazing setting. Thanks so much for your help, Heidi! You rock.

Here is the first part of the day. Part II will be posted soon!

The dress in this awesome setting. Seriously… LOVE this place.

The bouquet and the awesome topsy turvy-style cake created by Twinfully Sweet.

BJ has an awesome sense of humor! He actually convinced his Best Man Shane that he was going to be wearing this bright pink vest and tie while the other guys got to wear brown! Shane was such a good sport about it, but was visibly relieved when he heard it was just a joke.

Handsome groomsmen.

The perfect location for a Fall-inspired wedding.

Melissa– you’re glowing! So happy for you!

One of my favorite bridal images ever. LOVED that tree… Melissa worked it.

The lovely, lovely ladies.

Sometimes blinking just works…

Such a handsome groom.

The ceremony.

This is Danielle- she was the first girl I met at Long Beach State in the dorms and she introduced me to Melissa. I just adored her expression as Melissa came down the aisle!

Married and sooo happy!

A celebration with the wedding party after the ceremony. Taking photos of people throwing things makes me happy for some reason so I do it whenever possible.

Check back Tuesday for Part II! Many more fun portraits of the bride and groom!