Laura and Dave Yacht Wedding Photos
San Diego is not only synonymous with beautiful weather and scenery, but also with lovely bays, water and sailing. This wonderful Southern California city of ours is a renowned destination wedding location. Of course we locals already know all this and we make the best of it. So now, take all of this, add in a large sailboat and combine Laura and Dave, one of the most loveliest couples you could ever meet. The result is a gorgeous and exciting collection of yacht wedding photos from their wedding on bay in San Diego while sailing on a 54′ Jeanneau yacht!
Like Laura and Dave, I love sailing and the water, so when they first contacted me to photograph their wedding ceremony aboard a beautiful yacht, well, you can imagine I was quite excited. Not only would I get to enjoy a nice afternoon on the water (truth be told, I love going to every wedding venue no matter where), but I would also get to combine two things that are so important to me: boating and photography.
Actually, one of my endeavors in professional photography a number of years ago was associated with yachts and photography. Since then I’ve done a variety of yachting related photography, including several shore and seagoing photoshoots, and marketing materials creation, for Seaforth Boat Rentals. And that’s how Laura and Dave found me, all thanks to the recommendation of the very gracious and professional Jenn Glick, Event Coordinator at Seaforth.
Laura and Dave’s day for creating their yacht wedding photos began at Sunroad Marina on Harbor Island in San Diego, where Seaforth has one of their locations. After capturing shots of Laura and Dave getting ready, it was time for their ‘first look’ wedding photos. You can see some of the shots from these two parts of their wedding on this page, which features some of my favorites.
On this page you’ll see some of the couple’s yacht wedding photos from their beautiful wedding day on San Diego Bay and their reception at the marina afterward. Their complete collection of hundreds of wonderful photos can be accessed in my San Diego Wedding Photographer Client Galleries (password required). And be sure to see Laura and Dave’s Yacht Wedding Video slideshow, too.
Now let me tell you a bit more about Laura and Dave’s wedding. After the first-look photos we proceeded to the dock where we met some of their guests, all family and close friends, and from here we boarded the lovely 54′ Jeannaeu sailing yacht, the Mon Bijou. Seaforth’s Jeanneau 54 is the larges charter sailboat in San Diego. Captain Murphy welcomed us aboard then he soon has is ready to leave the slip under his professional and gracious care.
Comfortably seated in the large cockpit of the yacht, the couple and their guests started with enjoying each other’s company over wine and hors d’oeuvres. Meanwhile, Captain Murphy motored us out of the marina and towards the bay, where he raised the mainsail and began using the breeze to sail us closer to downtown San Diego.
Out on the bay and during the couple’s wedding sail, we had as our background such notable landmarks as the Star of India and the San Diego Maritime Museum, USS Midway Aircraft Museum, Seaport Village, Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego Marriott, San Diego Hilton Bayside, the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, and of course the entire San Diego skyline. It made for a wedding venue unlike any other.
Once under sail it was nearly time to photograph Laura and Dave’s wedding ceremony on the boat of the yacht. We did some posed and creative shots first, then this lead us into the ceremony, which was officiated by Laura’s brother. What a fun ceremony, and just look at the amazing views. Other sailboats were out on the water for this perfect day, including the America’s Cup Yacht, and those aboard got the treat of being wedding guests under sail; I bet they went home with a special sailing story!
After their ceremony, it was time to create more lasting memories through Laura and Dave’s yacht wedding photos, and for their lovely wedding album that I’ll be creating for them. Every view while sailing on the water is nice, but when you add in the lovely Laura and Dave, well, the most priceless, scenic and enticing San Diego wedding and sailing photography shots seemed to keep coming out of my camera! And just look at the two at the helm! And do you see the flags hanging on the transom behind Laura and Dave? It’s ‘written’ in the alphabet of the international maritime signal flags, it’s ‘boat-speak’ for ‘Just Married’. How’s that for a boost to their nautical-themed wedding. What’s more, Laura and Dave hand-made the flags.
But wait, there’s even more. Look at the reception photos for the monkey fists on the table settings, the napkin rings, the adornment in Laura’s hair, and on Dave’s lapel. All made by Dave and his skill at tying boating knots! And the wonderful nautical theme surely doesn’t end there, as you’ll see in more signs, their nautical wedding cake, cake pops with sails on top, and much more.
And that’s where we headed after we sailed bit longer with the jib out, back to the marina for the couple’s reception, where more guests joined us. The nautical wedding photography didn’t end on the boat, because there was so much more still to capture on shore. From the exquisite meal created by Erin Sealy of Wine Pairs to the reception setup that Jenn of Seaforth helped create, including all the charming nautical wedding features that Laura and Dave created. It was so wonderful being a part of their beautiful wedding and photographing them in a gorgeous San Diego wedding venue.
For more information about San Diego and Destination Wedding Photography, please contact me.
