Akiko & Michael - Ponte Winery, Temecula

Although the Ponte Winery is only a few years old, it's a well thought out place for a wedding with a rustic feel. The ceremony site is surrounded by vineyards and trees with a quaint little cottage for the bride and groom to get ready in. There's lots of little nooks and spots that are great for incorporating into the photography.

The ivy growing over the cottage, decomposed granite walkways, park benches and wooden buildings gave me a lot to work with. If there's one thing that can distract from a great photo, it's a metal railing. Most of the high-end resorts have railings guarding their views so it was nice to just have open air and grapevines as a backdrop.

The day was a hot one though - the day previous had broken heat records all over Southern California. 105 degrees was the reading on the car thermometer when we pulled into the lot. Fortunately, a wind picked up just before the ceremony so it ended up not being too bad. All the same, I was thankful for the large willow tree that offered some cool shade.

The wedding coordination was expertly handled by Melissa Barrad. We've worked together several times and each time she's done a great job. (We worked together at Kanani & John's wedding in Palm Springs that's further down in the blog.)





Besides shade, the willow tree offered a nice textural element to play off of.








Akiko did a great job with the details. Lots of little things here and there that added to the day. The umbrellas that she put out not only looked great, but provided some welcome shade.




The reception was held in the barrel room of the vineyard. Not only did it have an intimate feel, but it's kept at a comfortable 59 degrees. The winery also has a large tent, but we were all thankful to be sitting inside. The barrel room will probably fit up to about 50 people or so.




For more images by San Diego wedding photographer John Mireles, visit the Ventana Photography web site.

Stephanie & Jim - El Cortez, San Diego

This was a sweltering day in a string of hot days so the challenge was to keep everyone cool, have fun and still get some great photos. The ceremony took place at Founder's Chapel located on the campus of USD in San Diego. Founder's sits right next door to the popular Immaculata cathedral also on the USD campus. The chapel is actually quite big, but it has more of an intimate feel with it's dark wood and carved alter guilded in gold. It quickly got hot and steamy in there so it was a good thing that the bride and groom provided everyone with small folding fans to cool themselves. (Recommended for anyone considering a summer wedding there.)










Stephanie wore a beautiful Carolina Herrera dress. Not only did the dress fit her perfectly, but I liked seeing something from a designer that I don't see too often.




Originally, Jim (the groom) wanted to take some photos with the wedding party at Balboa Park near downtown San Diego. The day was so hot that I instead suggested shooting at the USD campus where there was a steady breeze and no crowds. So we headed over to the center of the campus where there's a fountain and the cathedral in the background. I had this idea that I'd get everyone in the fountain so I mentioned it to the groomsmen. At first, they were skeptical, but then one of them said what the heck and went for it. Then the rest followed.



The cool water was so nice that the girls decided to jump in too.



Alas, jumping in wasn't really an option for the Stephanie so she just hovered.


The reception was at the Don Room in the El Cortez situated in downtown San Diego. It's one of the most gorgeous rooms you'll find anywhere.



Catering and cake was handled by Paul Bott & Company. He does a great job although I have to admit I'm biased - he catered my wedding.








There's the bride and groom's first dance...



...and then the groom and best man's first dance.



For more images by San Diego wedding photographer John Mireles, visit theVentana Photography web site.

Amanda & Alan - La Valencia, La Jolla

The wedding actually took place at the Bishop's School in La Jolla. They have a cute chapel on the grounds of the school. It's a little dark and narrow, but it's cozy with lots of wood and the grounds are beautiful. The catch with having your ceremony at Bishop's is that you need to have gone to school there. Usually, they don't allow much photography during the ceremony, but we got lucky. The usual officiant wasn't there so I got to move around pretty freely. I never use a flash during the ceremony so I was able to photograph pretty much unnoticed.

The coordinator was Lisa Lippe of Details Defined. This was our first time working together; it was great to work with someone so super organized and meticulous. She's also a great advocate for the client which helps when it comes time to get things done. Flowers were handled by Adelaides in La Jolla. Video was handled by Stealth Productions. I'd also never worked with them, but they were easy to work with and didn't try to pose things or get in the way.




It was a hot day... and no air conditioning at Bishops.



What could be cuter than excited little kids in English schoolboy outfits?






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As a surprise treat, the USC marching band came out and played after the ceremony. It was awesome and so much fun. The guests loved it too.





Bishop's is a great place to shoot since it has so many arches, trees and great light.











I don't usually show reception/dancing shots on my blog. It's not because we don't shoot many - actually we shoot more shots during the reception than during the entire rest of the day. It's because it's hard to just pick out one or two. Still, I thought that I'd post a few of folks getting funky. :-)








For more images by San Diego wedding photographer John Mireles, visit theVentana Photography web site.

Melody & Tony - Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Nigel

There were so many photos from this wedding that I had a hard time cutting my selects down to a manageable size. So you're going to have to suffer through a bunch. ;-) The production and design was handled by Cara Kleinhaut and Erin Sprinkel from Caravents. Cara, though perhaps not as big a name as some other LA coordinators, is among the best LA high-end coordinators. Her events are always unique and super well managed. She's also great at executing the client's vision as opposed to just doing the same thing over and over again.

Florals and decorations were done by R. Jack Balthazar. I've worked with them on several occasions and some my published images have even featured their work. As expected, everything looked flawless and was finished with plenty of time to spare - which isn't as common as you'd hope in this business. The Ritz-Carlton staff is second to none when it comes to service. Going out of their way to help you is par for the course while the breezy ocean view is perfect on a hot summer day.
















To view more work by San Diego wedding photographer John Mireles, please visit ventanaphotography.com.