Meet Josh and Jessica, a couple who has endured a long distance relationship for more than a year now. They met when Jessica attended college at UCSC and Josh lived locally with his family. Fast forward a few years and the relationship has bloomed to include family outings and tropical vacations, frequent flights to and from her [new] home base in Texas and Joshua’s home in Oregon.
She is on the executive track with HP and even her thoughts are well organized. Josh is a helicopter pilot with a free spirit and a smiley expression. The two love good food, good sake, and travel — oh, and Josh’s baby sister Dakotah!
This week, the pair reunited for a family holiday in Santa Cruz. We ordered perfect weather for their informal e-style session near the Crow’s Nest at Twin Lakes Beach.Seeing their expressions throughout the session, it was evident that this might be practice for an — ahem — different and more grand type of session in the future. No worries, and no pressure, Josh and Jessica!
Getting back to the shoot itself, we didn’t overly stylize it because we wanted to celebrate the local environment. Ever feel like there are a million people around but you are the only ones present? I’d imagine that this is how Josh and Jessica felt, as there were a million people around and they were the only ones featured. As a photographer, I am interested in isolating out the distracting elements; however, sometimes the distractions are part of the story. We saw people, extraneous railings, and aged driftwood throughout the beach and harbor.
Of course, to reinforce Josh’s willingness to engage in this shoot, we had to allow an occasional bite or two!
As the light changed, we just allowed it to do so; they gracefully pivoted around its dancing colors. This was the beauty of chasing the light; I loved the intimate moments between the two as the sun set. Looking back at the images now, I adore the couple’s sunset dancing and the light kisses.
Come home soon, Josh and Jessica!
I bet that the sand dollars caught your eye as much as Holly’s simple, elegant bouquet. Mine too! These were hand selected and bleached by her mother, Jenny. If you haven’t been to Sand Dollar Beach in La Selva, by the way, it’s a must. In fact, I’m talking Holly and Dave into a “trash the dress” session there once the dust settles.
Special thanks to father of the groom, Phil Dresden, for joining us as artistic director for the morning! Phil envisioned the shoes/piano and ring shots. Hope we made you proud, Phil!
For those of you who didn’t catch our sneak peak on Facebook, Jack the Dog was a must-see guest at the wedding. In fact, his “mug” was on the stamp sent out to each guest!
Jack primarily chose to guard his mama in the bridal suite. No one minded — not even Park Winters proprietors John and Rafael.
Holly and Dave’s floral pieces were arranged by 
Hair and makeup styling by Priscilla Wright of 
Remember Jack? He checked in on his daddy’s suite down the hall a time or two before settling into his own wedding attire. Gotta love Sleepy Jack, as he became this character as his mommy gave him a rub or two during the dressing process.
Holly carefully selected her dressing attendants — longtime friend and roommate, mother and mother-in-law, sister- and daughter-in-law. What a lovely group to share the day with.
It was so heart warming when, just before the ceremony, fathers of the bride and groom entered the bridal suite for a sneak peak. Who could have prepared them for this vision? Love it!!!
The Jewish ceremony retained tradition yet was eclectic with Buddhist and contemporary accents; giggles and tears were released aplenty.
I particularly enjoyed the officiant’s presentation, enriched with stories. Holly was the first recipient of Dave’s cooking skills. He is well known for his kale chips! 
The reception began just as the light began to change and the sun began to set. The DJ played songs hand-picked by the couple, who greeted their guests with organic tomato bars, local cheeses and wines featuring 
I was impressed that Nicole Hankton of 
See that peering through the tree? None other than a full moon. Planned by the couple especially for their guests, of course.
The couple’s first dance was a tear jerker, but a wonderful way to start a wonderful night — and life.
Special thanks to Rhonda Thorn for shooting by my side. I am ever grateful for your presence, my dear
Du and Jag = You and Me
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