Kim & Travis’ One More Time photo-shoot in the Nisene Marks Forest!

When I first started the process of developing a photography portfolio, if you were pregnant, had kids or was getting married, I was knocking on your door!  That seems like years ago now but suddenly I found myself right back in those shoes!  When we arrived in California from New York City I was swooning over the golden rays of the California light. I pointed my lenses at our own son Jax and my sister’s boys but let’s be honest, little boys in beautiful light is nice but I was dreaming of photographing something more romantic. Lucky for me, my brother-in-law, now our new neighbor, has a niece who was recently married and she and her husband happen to perfectly fit my vision! Kim is the owner of Kim Guiley Hair and Make-up Design  and she also writes her own lifestyle beauty blog called Blending Beautiful so with ease she styled herself and her husband, Travis!

Kim and Travis, friends from high school, then sweethearts and now newlyweds! I’m so grateful that they were as excited as me to take more pictures in their wedding day attire and not only that… they did all the crazy ideas I proposed to them!  I had Kim wear sneakers under that gorgeous gown and good thing she did because we did some hiking to get some of these photographs!Darcy from Seascape Flowers is a friend of Kim’s and contributed to the photo-shoot by creating this gorgeous bouquet that was truly stunning not only in its color palette but textures as well. Kim and Travis were really such amazing sports on the shoot. Of course I just happened to see a patch of weed-like flowers that were around 8 feet tall and of course I had to ask if they would go inside the patch… I never actually thought they would say yes!  I’m so grateful they did! Not only were they great sports about hiking, climbing and immersing themselves in weeds, they were so easy to work with as they naturally can’t take their eyes off each other!Travis looked so handsome in his shirt and tie coupled with Converse sneakers! And Kim looked sensational in her Galina wedding dress! It’s a modern twist on a classic sweetheart bodice gown made out of Shantung Taffeta- it even had pockets!   She creatively paired it with a bolero from Anthropologie and added her own bird cage veil that she created herself to finish her look. Deeper into the forest we went…After some hiking that Kim managed like a pro, wedding dress and all, we found a beautiful little secret nook in a grove of Redwoods. We  all agreed that The Nisene Marks Forest is a place where your soul just sings.  We are so grateful to have this wonderland just minutes from our new home here in California!

Even more grateful that 5 minutes drive in the other direction, there is a secret little hill with panoramic views of the Pacific! And yes, Kim hiked this in the dress as well!!!  A big thanks to my brother-in-law, Mark for suggesting this location!!  We arrived just in time for the golden hour and Mother Nature could not have provided us with a more spectacul