Melissa + Grant // Church in the Forest // Barns at Cooper Molera

This was one of our favorite weddings of 2018. Melissa and Grant chose the beautiful Monterey Bay area for their destination wedding, and we were so happy to be a part of their day. It started with Melissa getting dressed at a house they rented with amazing ocean views, their beautiful ceremony at Church in the Forest, and ended at The Barns at Cooper Molera, with a few pit stops in between. More on that in a bit.

We met Melissa in the late morning as she was finishing up with hair and makeup. It was one of those days where the bride, bridesmaids, and bride's family are all genuinely happy and not stressing about anything! What a great vibe to start the day! Melissa was having so much fun getting ready, seeing all of her girls in their dresses, that we ended up having so much fun and laughter as we were photographing her bridal session.

We met Grant and his guys at the ceremony site, Church in the Forest in Pebble Beach. If you are looking for a church in the Monterey Bay area, this is a beautiful option for you and your guests. I love the floor to ceiling wall of glass that view into the surrounding nature. It was a very special ceremony as we listened to their family friend officiate their wedding.

Melissa had a few requests for photos she wanted to take before heading to their reception. It was important to us to do what was possible without impacting their reception, so we carefully planned our time and locations to make it work. A friend had brought his vintage car down from the bay area that we couldn't pass up using. She had seen photos on the boardwalk over by Asilomar Conference Grounds and really loved the look of that area. Our final stop was for rocky coastline before joining the end of their cocktail hour at The Barns at Cooper Molera. This wedding is one of my favorite groupings of a bride and groom. I probably spent no more than 10 minutes at each location (less at the rocky coastline), and being creative, coming up with ideas in such a short amount of time, and still having so much fun with the couple (which I think really shows in all of their photos), is everything I love to do.

This was our first wedding at The Barns at Cooper Molera. At the time, this was a brand new venue that had just opened about a month or two before Melissa and Grant's wedding. My local clients won't recognize it anymore, but many high school seniors have taken photos with me at this location when it was just that - a rustic barn. The complete renovation of the barn and interior courtyard makes it completely unrecognizable! It's absolutely stunning inside and out for anyone who wants a barn location, with the added perks of being in the heart of Monterey.