This is a wedding I had been looking forward to for MONTHS! Alora & Mike are my wedding giveaway winners from earlier in the year. I knew it was meant to be from the beginning as Alora and I instantly bonded over Target, stickers, and planners. The first day we ever met in person was the morning of her wedding, and it felt like we had been friends for years (how does that even happen?!).

This was my first southern California wedding and I would be lying if I said that I was really looking forward to sunny weather and California vibes. That was the exact opposite of what we got. For some reason, the rainy, dreary, Oregon weather decided to follow me down south to Carpinteria, California. But, this was another reason why I believe that it was meant to be for me to shoot Alora & Mike’s wedding, as I am extremely experienced at shooting in the rain.

All week I had obsessively been checking my weather app, Wunderground, to see what the situation was. The morning of their wedding, it still said no rain until about 1pm. That was not accurate. One of the ways I prepare for rain is to pack my rain cover for my camera (which is essentially a fancy plastic bag), but of course, I could not find it before I left Oregon. So, as my husband always says, “Improvise, overcome, and adapt!” and I took those plastic bags for your hotel ice bucket, grabbed some extra hair ties, and called it good. I also did not have an umbrella with me, so I stopped by Albertsons and bought myself a pocket-sized umbrella.

Now I am ready for anything!

Long story short— the rain never stopped. We did just fine with umbrellas and thinking quick on our feet and problem solving what to do about the ceremony set up (which was all outdoors). But the cool thing is, rain or shine, Alora and Mike got to marry their best friend. They got to be together with their precious friends and family, and not let something as insignificant as the weather ruin their day.

It was evident all day that Alora & Mike are truly meant to be. As I mentioned earlier, we had never actually met in person until their wedding day, but everything about them, about their friends & family, was so welcoming and loving and genuine. It made me wish we all lived closer so we could hang out.

I hope you enjoy these images. Whether or not you were actually at the wedding, my hope is that you feel the love, feel the emotions, and enjoy some stunning images of Alora & MIke’s wedding!

Venue: Lions Park