Melissa McClure Blog

Wow, I have so many things I want to say about Norvin and Dawn, but instead I will try and let the photos do most of the talking.

You may recognize these lovebirds from their engagement session a few months ago.  Since then, Norvin left to work on a huge ship (he is a Merchant Marine) and came home 10 days prior to the wedding!  Dawn is such a trooper!

The day started at the new Marriott Courtyard in the NTC Liberty Station.  As soon as I walked in, this is what I saw.

Then of course, there are the details!

Her dress was custom made!

The stunning bride:

This really shows the difference in men and women.  Here is the couple just a few minutes before the ceremony.

The ceremony at The North Chapel.

The off to the Reception spot!  I’m loving these lanterns!

And of course, the ring shots!

A quick shot during dinner!

I spotted this stairwell that leads to the top of a building. It overlooked the reception perfectly.  I think it was nice for them to take a second and look over at what they created!

The groomsmen making their speech!

First dance.

Another shot from the top of the building!  Breathtaking. 

Wedding Coordinator: Nicole DeMers of Most Organized Bride

DJ: Matt of La Jolla DJ’s

Videoographer: Lora of IVP Studios

Cake: European Cake Gallery

Dawn and Norvin,

I feel so lucky to have you two in my lives!  You are so special and your love is evident in everything you do. You will have so many years of happiness ahead of you!

xoxo, M

ps And thanks to my fabulous assistants, Melissa Koehler and Jamie Lawler!  You girls rock!

Enjoy your Slideshow!!

This was a special wedding because Naomi and Paul got married in the same location that I will be saying my vows in just over 5 months!  They were married at Ocean View Villas in Pt Loma.  Thanks to Aaron of I Heart AS photography for bringing me along to 2nd shoot and experience this place first hand!

First, the ceremony. It was a little cloudy that day, but still quite warm!

Paul kept leaning over to whisper in to Naomi’s ear!

Around the neighborhood

I loved this wall!

This toasting flutes were awesome!  They were on loan from one of Naomi’s bridesmaids!

The toasts were so sweet and heartfelt.  You could feel the love that everyone had for these two!

First dance. I love the higher angle from the balcony!

Naomi, thanks for allowing me to be a part of your wedding, for set up and for photos!  And Aaron rocks!

xoxo, M

I was looking forward to getting to know Vicky and Josh on their wedding day, since a friend had already shot their engagement photos.  The whole day was so much fun, you can tell how much their family and friends love and adore these two!

Their ceremony was held at Pt Loma Nazarene in McCullough Park.  After, we went to The San Diego Women’s Club for the reception.

Vicky had a lot of traditional aspects to this wedding.  From her vintage Alfred Angelo dress, to her garter and handkerchief that her mom had at her wedding! It was so special.

Here she is re-writing her vows in her handwriting to make it more personal.

Her cute shoes and pearls!

A little touch up time!

Her dad’s walking her down the aisle!

Several times during the vows, Josh leaned over to encourage Vicky through them!  It was very sweet!

Wow!!  Isn’t she gorgeous???  Josh couldn’t take his eyes off of her!

I thought this would be perfect to go with her vintage dress!

Reception time!

Vicky’s mom handmade those chocolate shells!  They look great!

Vicky and her little brother tearing up the dance floor!

Thanks for trusting me and Tim to capture your special day!  I hope you having fun in Punta Cana!!!

Enjoy your slideshow!

xoxo, M

Last Thursday was the first time I had ever met Melissa and RJ!  Melissa actually lives in Michigan, while RJ lives in San Diego.  Their entire 5 year relationship has been long distance! Wow, that’s dedication!  I can’t wait for their October wedding when they will finally live in the same state!

First stop, Belmont Park!  

These two were so cute together and so obviously in love!  They laughed the entire session!

A little friendly competition is always healthy!

Next it was down to La Jolla Cove!

It was great to finally meet you two, your wedding is going to be so much fun!

xoxo, M

Mary and Gideon are so sweet together and so in love!  You can see it when he affectionately teases her!  And don’t worry, because she can dish it right back to him!  We ran all over La Jolla Cove and Balboa Park last Monday with these two!

Ummm…can you say HOT?

Tim’s view:

How fun that they decided to get IN the fountain!  

Mary and Gideon will be tying the knot in the end of December…not long before another special date!  Can’t wait! (for both their wedding and mine!)
xoxo, M

 For those of you that are in my group of photography friends, or if you follow my blog religiously, you may think this bride looks super familiar.  She isn’t.  Her twin sister, Emily is!  Emily had the privilege of photographing her sisters wedding on July 5th!  She asked me to come along and 2nd shoot (and of course, grab a few images of them together).  Like below!

  That is Courtney on the left, Emily on the right.  At first it was weird for me seeing double…thank goodness their hair is way different!

 Thanks Em for exposing me to your family!   I had a lot of fun!  Best wishes to Courtney and Chase on the East Coast!

xoxo, M 

These two have so much fun together, Reve just makes Sarah laugh constantly.  I had a great time getting to know them better in La Jolla last Sunday!

We decided to explore the Contemporary Museum first!  What we found behind it was this awesome cluster of cactus! (cacti?)  Oh and of course some sun flair.

And Sarah had some adorable shoes on!

Then down to the beach!

They were lovey even if we did have quite an audience watching at this point!

What else can I say? H-O-T!!

Thanks you two, Tim and I had a blast, I’m looking forward to your August wedding!

xoxo, M

On June 28th, I got the pleasure of assisting Kristi Klemens again. She and I always have a blast together!  I drove up to Santa Ana to shoot the wedding of Erica and Ree at Bower’s Museum. Oh my, I adore this location!  It is gorgeous and so easy to photograph! 

Here is Ree’s reaction to seeing his bride.  They opted for a First Look before the ceremony so they could spend extra time on photos!

How cool are the sculpture’s at the museum??

This staircase rocks too!

This was shot while holding my camera above my head.  This statue was about 8 feet tall!  Even on tippy-toes I couldn’t have peeked through it!

We weren’t allowed to shoot inside the museum.

It’s easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission!

The handsome Ree

Loved these program fans!

There was a balcony above the ceremony site, so I ran up them very quick to capture the processional!

We’re married!

Woo Hoo!

This was a unique way to have place cards!

Fabulous cake!

Here are two angles of the toast…I couldn’t decide

David, this is it.  

Dance fever!

Enjoy the Honeymoon!

Last Friday was a wonderful day.  It was a little overcast, not too hot, not too cold.  There was a rumor of rain, but it never came true!  Yes, July 11th was perfect…just like Kelly and Nico’s relationship!

This busy couple opted against their engagement session and had me shoot their rehearsal dinner instead.  Below is a photo at the end of the rehearsal portion.  You can see more in the slideshow from Thursday.

Kelly did her getting ready duties at her grandmother’s home in Pt Loma.  Her best friend Ally did her hair and makeup! (Ally is a professional in LA if you would like her info, email me!)

The gorgeous Dress!

Isn’t this a great wall?

I’m all for a little toast before the ceremony!  Well not for me…for the bride!

GORGEOUS?!?!?!

A little peek in to their sweet ceremony.  Both Nico and Kelly shared private writings from years ago read by their best friends.

And hello??  Isn’t NTC North Chapel adorable??

Having fun with Kelly’s girls!

Favorite!!  (well my first favorite!)

This is my other favorite!

How awesome are these square cupcakes?  It was one of the first things I saw when we walked in to the backyard of this Private Residence overlooking the San Diego Skyline and Coronado! Wow!

Get it? 7-11?  We are so clever!

Ain’t no party like a backyard mansion party!

Kelly and Nico, I feel so blessed to have met you both, you are amazing people. I hope you are enjoying the best of life in Aruba and the Carribean! 

Thank you to my clients Jeff and Kika for the referral also!  Congrats on your pregnancy and happy (almost) 1 year anniversary!!!

Thanks a ton to my awesome 2nd shooter, Melissa Koehler.  Life is so much easier when both photographers are named Melissa. haha

XOXO, 

M

ENJOY YOUR SLIDESHOW!!!

This is another second shooter job!  This time for Lynn Dao.  We shot the wedding of the gorgeous Eleah and her husband Lee.  While Lynn was concentrating on the gals, I got to hang with the boys….excuse me, men.  They were a ton of laughs, I have yet to meet a more outgoing group of guys!   

 Here is Lee getting dapper!