As you can tell from my previous posts, Steve and I took a trip out to California to photograph Adriana and Wayne’s wedding. We decided to extend the trip by a few days and turn into a much needed and very belated honeymoon. We’ve been married for almost two years and haven’t had the opportunity to go on a honeymoon yet. I was finishing college, Steve got hired as a police officer, and then being a homeowner took whatever money we have saved. Internet, words of the wise, STAY WITH MOM AND DAD AS LONG AS POSSIBLE!! I certainly miss the days of delicious home-cooked meals and no worries.
Anyway, back to our honeymoon. We fell in love with California. It’s beautiful rolling hills, breathtaking landscaping, awesome weather, and gorgeous beaches had us captivated. It was definitely tough to board the plane back home to Florida’s rainy afternoons, intense heat, and awful humidity.
Our first day we drove out to the Santa Monica Pier.
I loved the textures and colors that were all around.
I mean seriously, who wouldn’t want to live here??
After roaming around we went to the Blu Jam Cafe in West Hollywood for lunch. You must go and have their steak sandwich. It was soooo yummy!
Later that afternoon we met up with Adriana and Wayne in Laguna Beach to squeeze in an engagement session. Steve was great with assisting me and taking a few behind-the-scene photos.
Just on the other side of this cliff they were filming for a new movie called “The Savages.” The actors were too far away to tell who they were but, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Blake Lively, and Salma Hayek are among the few listed to be in the movie.
Steve snapped this photo at the end of the session. Don’t I look beautiful?? No one cared to mention to me my hair was a mess but I think it adds to this lovely expression.
The next day we drove down to San Juan Capistrano. Much love to Jasmine Star for posting her locations for engagement sessions and weddings. Since I’m an avid reader of her blog, we used some of her posts as a travel guide. As always, J-star did not disappoint!
If you go to Southern California, you HAVE to go to the mission in San Juan. It is GORGEOUS! The mission grounds are covered in fresh flowers, lush greenery, and some of the most beautiful trees I’ve ever seen. There’s tons of history to explore and makes for a wonderful afternoon.
The following day we took a scenic drive through Palos Verdes. It was a little overcast and cool that day but still a beautiful drive. We made a wrong turn, which we did many times, and found this windy road to beach access and I of course convinced Steve we just had to take a photo.
Our last day we went to the Griffith Observatory. It was a little bit of a hike to get to it but so worth it. The view is amazing. We even spotted Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendez sharing a quiet afternoon there. My operation “see-a-celebrity” was a success!
Thanks for being so good to us California! We will definitely be back!
by Julie Jarrell
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