Elopement: Patrick & Jen | Analisa Joy Photography | Upland, CA Photographer

I have attended close to two hundred weddings. I have captured so many couples saying, “I do” and I still feel butterflies when they kiss for the first time as husband and wife. I have photographed celebrities, church weddings, beach weddings, backyard weddings, destination weddings, courthouse weddings, estate weddings, giant parties, and intimate gatherings. I have seen it all and although trends can be similar at times, I love how all my weddings are still unique and personalized to my couples.

In seven years of photographing weddings, I have yet to photograph an elopement. I was so excited when this sweet couple from Wisconsin contacted me to photograph their special day. They have never been to California so they figured that they were going to celebrate their big day and honeymoon all in one. I met them for the first time on their wedding day and it was truly the most relaxing day. We met their officiant on top of a hill in La Jolla. They had no guests and I even got to sign their marriage liscense as their witness. Patrick and Jen have seen so many of their friends get married and they have witnessed the stress and effort that goes into planning. They decided to eliminate the madness all together and elope! Their ceremony was incredibly touching and very intimate. I love how their emotions were so raw and heartfelt. There were no distractions or expectations for a certain kind of reaction and I loved that! Tears were shed, prayers were shared, and a whole lotta love was exchanged between Patrick and Jen! I truly enjoyed our entire time together and felt so honored to be a part of such a private special occasion. After they tied the knot, we drove around La Jolla and we had an awesome photo shoot. We had no time constraints and the freedom to go to any location that caught our eye. It was such an amazing day and an ideal session for a photographer. These two are going to make such an amazing team and their wedding day will now go down on my list as an all time favorite. Congrats Patrick and Jen!

Happy tears!

In love with this screen saver backdrop!

There is a hidden gem of a beach beyond the hills and we had a few surfers crash our party.
They were all so friendly and they made for the perfect prop to capture their first visit to California!