Cape Rey Carlsbad Wedding Photographer

I was so thrilled to hear that Alissa and Blake wanted me to be their Cape Rey Carlsbad wedding photographer. As we talked about the overall vibe of their wedding, they explained the importance of the details (specifically during the ceremony). They also had family traveling from all over the world to celebrate them, and they shared with me how important sunset portraits were to them.

Fun fact: We actually carved out a full HOUR of sunset portraits after their ceremony. (For most weddings, you only get about 20 minutes.) It was a DREAM. We teamed up on the timeline to figure out how we could best achieve this without taking them away from their guests for too long. We decided that doing a first look, all the bridal party photos, and all of their family photos prior to the ceremony was the best way.

As everyone else enjoyed cocktail hour, we walked to the beach and enjoyed the entire sunset that night, soaking up all of golden hour. These portraits ended up being some of my favorite because I didn’t feel rushed at all. It was also really special for them, because they had more than just a moment to relax. They got to simply enjoy the fact that they’re MARRIED before jumping back into the party. It was absolutely perfect!

They actually did two ceremonies on their wedding day. The first was a traditional American ceremony, and the second was a traditional Persian ceremony. This included a Sofreh Aghd table, which represents elements that symbolized blessings for the couple’s life together from this point forward. Every item was thoughtfully put together and beautifully arranged. The amount of detail found at their wedding made my heart swoon.

Also, I want to mention that Blake’s mom is the one who officiated their American ceremony. How stinkin’ CUTE is that? I absolutely melted when I saw her tearing up as her son walked down his grandparents and again while he wanted for his very-soon-to-be wife.

I gotta shout it out to all of their vendors too. First of all, I’ve never had a team work quite as over and beyond for each other as this team did. Not only that, but everyone made sure that their tasks made everything really seamless for the couple on their wedding day.

I mean, just outside of San Diego, this venue is gorgeous and their staff were all incredibly friendly and helpful. Alissa and Blake’s wedding coordinator Holly was basically everywhere all at once. Every time I turned around to find her, there she was! Always ready and willing to answer any question I had and to support me in any way I needed.

I also loved working with their videographer Jeremy at Blue Tiger Films, as finding a talented and trustworthy videographer can be tough. It’s unfortunate that photo/video don’t always work as a team, even though that’s our hope for most wedding days. It was extremely easy to come together with them and document what we needed without getting in each other’s way.

Their talented florist Ruby Bloom NAILED IT with the gorgeous floral arrangements throughout the entire venue. The vibe of the ceremony and reception spaces also came together with the help of the beautiful work done by Concepts Event Design and BBJ Linens.

Can I also take a moment to talk about the dream-team hair/makeup artists SV Glamour + Lindsay Ann MUA + Brides by Rou Pak who all did an incredible job for Alissa and all of her girls? They all looked flawless, all day and all night. AND they were all ready on time for photos – which is nearly unheard of and 100% appreciated on my side of things, haha!

The DELICIOUS food was provided by Bahar Restaurant, Twiggs Bakery Cafe and they even had a chocolate fountain by Yummie Fountains. But it wouldn’t be a party without an outstanding DJ, which was Excellent Entertainment Inc. They kept that dance floor alive all night long!

Here are the links to all of the incredible vendors involved in making their day absolutely PERFECT. I would be so stoked to work with any of these talented vendors again in the future! Talk about dream team, am I right? ;)

Venue: Cape Rey Carlsbad
Photography: TMinspired Photography
Videography: Blue Tiger Films
Coordinator: Holly Kalkin Weddings
Florist: Ruby Bloom
Rentals: Concepts Event Design & BBJ Linens
Hair: SV Glamour
Makeup: Lindsay Ann MUA
Bridesmaids HMUA: Brides By Rou Pak
DJ: Excellent Entertainment Inc
Cake: Twiggs Bakery Cafe
Catering: Bahar Restaurant
Chocolate Fountain: Yummie Fountains