Kristen & Chase // A Marin Headlands Elopement

Kristen & Chase met years ago, their relationship built on trust and music and love and laughter. A few months before bringing their first child into the world they decided to marry; alongside their dog and under the guidance of a dear friend named Rainbow.

They chose as their ceremony spot the cliffs above Rodeo Beach - having spent some of their most beautiful and some of their most painful days together with this exact piece of earth beneath them, looking out onto the Pacific.  

Below, their story: an incredible sunrise elopement at Marin Headlands, California. 

Libby & David // A San Francisco City Hall Elopement

I spent the morning with Libby, David and their family. With a baby on the way, Libby and David chose to marry quietly at San Francisco City Hall, and then headed off to lunch.

One of the most beautiful and challenging things about this work is how quickly my clients and I have to warm to each other. Making space for an almost-stranger (with a couple of cameras) on your wedding day isn't the easiest thing in the world to do - it requires opting in to the notion that what you'll have to show for it will be worth the immediate trust you place in my hands and the faith you have in my presence. 

I am especially grateful for the clients who do this even their wedding guest list is tiny. I work hard to read their energy, to make sure that everything I'm doing is in service to not only the photos we're making, but the way the experience their day. 

A fun aside - David took Libby's last name. While the opposite is almost always assumed (less and less these days, but still), when David told the clerks he'd be changing his last name to hers, the whole office all but swooned.

Lauren & Eric at San Francisco City Hall | Wedding Reception at Cliff House

Lauren at Eric met years ago working together at Best Buy in San Francisco. Now living in Southern California, they knew they wanted to start their marriage in the same city that brought them there. They also knew that they wanted to plan something quiet and low key, focusing on bringing their families and closest friends together for a small ceremony in San Francisco's most beautiful building - San Francisco City Hall - and a lovely lunch on the most iconic beach in the city. 

After their ceremony and some portraits around City Hall, the three of us ventured off to the apartment where Eric lived when they first started dating for a quick and dirty (well, rainy and windy) portrait, and then we met their people at Cliff House in Lands End.