Ben + Jen's "Perfect Date" Daytona Beach Wedding ~ 10/10/20

I am feeling so grateful to be writing this post, and that it’s for Ben + Jen’s Daytona Beach Wedding. I didn’t retire in 2016 for lack of wedding love… We’d had an unexpected (but welcomed) move to Florida and I decided to leave my wedding life in its perfect San Diego dream-bubble. I thought I was fine about it, but couldn’t visit a hotel and walk by a packed ballroom without feeling like ‘those are my people in there!’

Finally this year felt like a great time to make a comeback (yes, it was EARLY 2020 that I had that big idea) and thank goodness for Ben + Jen seeing my post, throwing a PAR-TEE in the face of 2020, and inviting me to join them. I realized - I have wedding work to do and couples to love!! So “Cheers!” to my first trusting and wonderful couple to love - Ben + Jen. I hope they know how special they are to me. <3

Full credits/links to their great list of vendors, below, including their awesome planner Lisa Pinto of A Pinto Affair, and the beautiful Halifax River Yacht Club. I am so grateful Ben + Jen had the perfect party on their perfect date, and this team made it happen. Special thank you, also, to Kyle of You & I Pictures for being my first vendor meal buddy. I missed those, too. xo

Rockstar Vendor List

Planner: A Pinto Affair (Lisa Pinto + Asst Mikaela)

Venue and Catering: Halifax River Yacht Club ~ Daytona Beach, Florida

Video: You & I Pictures (Kyle Carbajal)

Florals: Simply Roses (Ashlee Roberson)

Hair: Liz Maldonado

Makeup: Liz Santana

Additional Coverage + Photo Booth: Juniper Lane Events

Officiant: Rev. Rick Burhans / Grace Episcopal Church

Bakery: Cakery Creations (Liz)

Ceremony Music: Taylor Roberts Music

Reception DJ: Pyramid Disc Jockeys (DJ Mike)

Ponte Vedra High School ~ Senior Beach Session

I love that Ellie is my very first FLORIDA blog post, with her amazing Ponte Vedra High School - Senior Beach Session. After 12 years blogging San Diego weddings, it feels unreal, but so exciting and SO NATURAL to have a site dedicated to creating portraits. This session is an incredible place to start.

We started Ellie’s fun day at Trompe L’oeil, where Holly did a beautiful job on her makeup - totally natural and a perfect match for her warm tones. After makeup, Ellie picked up the three outfits we brainstormed at our style consult, and headed to the beach. [As a note, she planned for the super cute white dress and shorts outfit, and, after talking about adding something dressier, she remembered the vibrant fuchsia dress she’d just bought. This is why I always hold a style consult, in advance of the shoot. I LOVE that she added this dress in. It gave us the perfect pop of color!]

Once we got to the beach, I photographed Ellie for two hours - changing outfits, poses, angles - anything we could dream up, so she would have more looks to choose from. Seriously, if the sun didn’t leave us in total darkness, we might not have stopped. It’s always worth working up to sunset, though, because we got an amazing sky over Guana River State Park. Even in San Diego, I always aimed for the end of day, to get the soft light of sunset. I have to tell you, though, I am SMITTEN with Florida’s East Coast watercolor sunsets - the way the light shines against the water, instead of from behind. What used to seem like something I’d lost, became the biggest gain of my Florida beach experience. ‘Be open to magical surprises’ is the lesson here!

Here are some favorites from my day with Ellie (and Mom!), who was so sweet and supportive through our session. At the end of the images, you’ll see I snuck in a few iPhone pics of her Reveal, that we held two weeks later. Mom wasn’t sure what to expect, and said the Reveal blew her away - just seeing all the prints on display at once. She suggests I keep a tissue box, nearby, for future Reveals. I’m on it.

~Pam xo