John Newsome Photography

San Diego Botanic Garden wedding | Mike and Sharon (1/2)

I’m used to doing outdoor weddings in natural environments, but nothing has been as lush and green as Mike & Sharons San Diego botanic garden wedding. Not only is the botanical garden a great place to hold a wedding due to it’s private setting and all the many types of gardens and plants it holds, but the area surrounding the San Diego botanic garden is pretty awesome also. The beaches are a short 10mins away from the garden. The surfer town of Leucadia & Encinitas also just down the road, so if you want your wedding photographer to have countless areas in which to shoot then you really can’t go wrong with the San Diego Botanic Gardens for your wedding venue.

We started the day photographing the getting ready at two separate houses from airbnb. If you haven’t heard of Airbnb I highly suggest checking the site out and the many options it has for accommodation. I never stay in hotels anymore, why would I when for the same price as a Hilton room for a night I could be staying in a private home by the beach for the same cost. It’s a no brainer for me. Don’t get me wrong hotels are nice and you can totally spoil yourself at one, which is fair enough since it’s your wedding. Since Pannikins coffee house was a 5-minute drive from both houses, and since it’s a personal favorite place for Sharon and Mike to grab a coffee and hang out we decided to do a quick first look there and move inside to take a few images. It’ wasn’t long before the humidity inside forced us outside to take for a portrait session. Like with any venue I like to scout the area to see what it holds and what I can do photographically speaking. So I had a few spots lined up that really typify the surf culture of Encinitas and Leucadia, and give the couple a totally different look to that found in the San Diego Botanic Gardens.

Here are a few images from the first half of the day in and around Encinitas and Leucadia. I will be posting more from the actual wedding ceremony and portrait session at the San Diego botanical gardens next.

Pine Hills Lodge Wedding | Pine Hills lodge is a beautiful venue for your wedding celebration. Nestled high up at 4000ft in the Julian, CA; surrounded by pines and lush green undergrowths this venue is one of great solitude and wonderful nature. At the last wedding I photographed at Pine Lodge we were greeted by deer roaming the grounds as the doors opens at the end of the night, it was a perfect way to end the wedding celebrations.

A pine hills lodge wedding would be a fantastic place for those who want a wedding far away from the city lights, yet not really that far away that it becomes a hassle to get there. Invite your guest to stay at one of the cabins nestled in the area around the lodge itself and have them experience a side of southern California that not many would expect to see. Wildlife and stunning views and the perfect distance from the city of Julian itself, Pine Hills lodge really is a wedding in nature without the any distractions.

A Pine Hills Lodge Wedding will offer you an abundance of options when it comes to the portraits of the married couple. Surrounded by sprawling views that peak out from in the pines gives you a stunning setting and views far reaching and ones that are untouched by the ruins of City culture. Or perhaps you want to make the most of the pines and lush greens and use them in your photographs. What is for sure is that a Pine Hills Lodge Wedding would offer you lots in the way of natures best sights.

The Pine Hills lodge itself is 100+ years old and you can really tell when walking inside for the first time. The low wooden beams, the original wooden floors are just two things that come straight to mind. It’s really worth a visit if you’re looking for this kind of setting for you wedding.

PLEASE SEE MORE OF MY WORK HERE

Red Barn Ranch Wedding

Celebrated at the beautiful Red Barn Ranch in Pauma Valley, Jennifer and Andrew’s wedding was nothing short of picturesque. The day began at Pala Casino Hotel, where the couple prepared for the upcoming ceremony. From the hotel, guests and wedding party were transported by shuttle to the rural Red Barn Ranch. The ceremony, officiated by the lovely couple’s pastor, was performed at sunset, and was captured by John Newsome Photography.

As the sun sank in the west, the soft light filtered through the willowy pepper trees, gently lighting up the faces of the bride and groom. Just to the east, family-style banquet tables had been set with floral arrangements, provided by Bella Blooms, alongside stacks of gently aged hard-cover books. Patti of Red Barn Ranch helped the wedding attendee’s transition from ceremony site to dining area, while Bekker’s Catering provided the guests with a wonderfully filling meal. Toasts were given as the sun disappeared behind the hills. As the sky darkened, strings of market lights were lit from tree to tree above the dining area as well as in the spacious red barn just up the hill, from which Red Barn Ranch acquired its name.

Guests filtered into the beautifully decorated barn, complete with antique furniture and ten foot high chiffon curtains at both ends, to witness the first dance. Bite size desserts were provided by Heather Miller once the newly-wed couple had cut the their specially made single tier cake. The dance floor was then opened and those in attendance proudly showcased their dancing skills.

As the night lengthened and the music slowed, shuttles were provided for the guests from Red Barn Ranch back to their rooms at the hotel.

Smoothly played out and well planned, Jennifer and Andrew’s wedding was beautiful in every way and was what every wedding should be: a celebration of not only what made this couple unique, but also of the community that brought them together.

FULL GALLERY HERE

Enjoy the full gallery by clicking here

The Lafayette Hotel Wedding San Diego | Julie & Dan

When Julie and Dan contacted me about there planned Lafayette Hotel wedding I must admit I got very excited about the possibility of shooting a wedding there. I’ve been to many indoor wedding venues and a large majority are bland, lack character and don’t offer much in the way of unique. It’s why most of my weddings clients choose to go outdoors, okay the weather helps with that also. The Lafayette however is a different breed of hotel. It’s got bags of style as soon as you walk in, offering retro decor and sharp colors and a pool surrounded by rooms that kind of remind me of the Saguaro in Palm Springs. Plenty of non hotel guests and locals come in the summer to chill by the pool, myself included, it’s got that vibe and it’s non pretentious. It’s cool and I knew before Julie and Dan contacted me, so I was stoked they got in touch with me.

Julie and Dan live on the East Coast, so we met on Skype, with the help of cell phones for sound, which made for an interesting first meet/talk. Straight away I liked them, cool and super chilled, my kind of people. I knew it would be a fun wedding with these two and it was. It must have been the most humid day of the year so it was a good thing the wedding was all indoors, I remember pitying the wedding photographers working outdoor weddings that day. We all battled through nonetheless with regular room breaks to cool down and stop the sweat creeping, okay I was dripping throughout but thats fine with me as I’m behind the camera always moving. We started early at a nice and relaxed pace, but then as the ceremony time loomed things started to speed up and before we knew it the guests had arrived and the ceremony was about to start. Just check out the ceremony room, eclectic chairs for the guests seating, (yeah you would pay a fortune to rent these out) and colorful umbrellas hanging from the ceiling and a few tropical plants scattered around the ceremony site. It’s nerve racking walking out to a lot of people knowing all eyes are on you, but I think these two handled the situation perfect. The ceremony was swift but long enough to get a few different perspectives, this is where having a second photographer present helps a bunch, thanks Esteban!

As soon as the ceremony ended the sun was close to setting so moving fast with family portraits was a priority, this way I could have time alone with the couple for the romantic portraits with just enough of that golden light of California. Esteban my associate and trusted second photographer got some fantastic cocktail hour candids whilst I was shooting the couple, another great reason to have two photographers at your wedding! The classic lafayette sign and the clean white beams and columns that support the vivid brick that is the building of the lafayette, makes for a great backdrop for some portraits whilst also taking the couple away from the friends and family that want to congratulate the newly weds ( this is a wedding photographers nightmare when working with a tight timeline). After the taking images of Julie and Dan together I had a small amount of time to get some decor details of the ballroom downstairs before the wedding guests started coming in, just enough time! I didn’t realize until only a few days before that part of “Top Gun” was filmed in the ballroom, the piano scene I believe? The lafayette ballroom has really nice lighting, not like that crazy orange light like a lot of ballrooms, so it was very pleasant shooting there. The grand entrance, the toasts, first dance and food all passed and it was party time and boy did the guests know how to party. The DJ always sets the vibe for a good party and he did great with this one! A very fun wedding indeed, and only a short walk home for me, perfect! A Lafayette Hotel wedding is the way to go!

For more information on having me photograph your Lafayette hotel wedding please get in touch by emailing me here or directly info@johnnewsomephotography.com

Check out my new website and portfolio as well as featured weddings by clicking this link