Ella & Jordan | An Italian-Inspired Micro Wedding in Laguna Beach
The first time I met Ella and Jordan, we were walking through Balboa Park in San Diego for their engagement session. Somewhere between the archways and the late-afternoon light, they told me what they really wanted: to elope in Italy.
Ella's family traces its roots back to Italy. The two of them had recently watched someone they love get married there, and they could picture their own version of it: small, unhurried, full of good food and the people who mattered most. Life had other plans. Family circumstances made Italy feel out of reach, so they did something I've come to admire. They didn't give up the dream. They just brought it closer to home.
Getting Ready at Surf & Sand
The day began at Surf & Sand in Laguna Beach, with the ocean almost close enough to touch through the windows. There was no rush and no frantic checklist, just soft light, the sound of the waves and the quiet ritual of getting ready.
Ella and Jordan are two of the most laid-back people I've ever photographed, and that set the tone for everything. We had a plan, but we held it loosely. Decisions were made as the day unfolded: where to walk, when to pause, which light to follow. I'll admit that isn't how I usually work. I live by timelines. But somewhere that morning I let go of mine, and I'm so glad I did. Some of my favorite frames from the day only exist because nothing was forced.
A Ceremony at St. Francis by the Sea
Their ceremony took place at St. Francis by the Sea, a tiny chapel tucked into the heart of Laguna Beach. It's the kind of place you might walk past without noticing, and then never forget once you step inside. It's small enough that every guest feels close to the front, and warm enough that it feels like it has been holding love stories for a very long time.
The couple who care for the chapel welcomed everyone with a kindness that filled the room before the ceremony even began. The space suited Ella and Jordan perfectly: intimate, a little old-world, and beautiful without trying to be.
I photographed much of the ceremony on 35mm film. Some spaces just ask for it, and this was one of them. The grain, the soft window light and the closeness of everyone in those pews feel like something you'd find tucked inside a family album decades from now.
An Evening at Tango
After the ceremony, everyone walked together through downtown Laguna Beach to dinner at Tango, which Ella and Jordan had reserved entirely for their celebration. There's something special about a wedding where the guests travel on foot, talking and laughing along the way, carrying the feeling of the ceremony with them down the street.
Tango felt like the natural last chapter of the day. It had the same easy, effortlessly cool spirit that had carried through every moment since morning. Long tables, good wine and people who love each other: it was, in its own way, the Italian dinner they had always imagined.
Why Micro Weddings Hold So Much
I photograph weddings of every size, but intimate days like this one have a way of staying with me. When there are fewer people in the room, there's more space for each of them. Every hug lasts a little longer. Every toast is from someone who knows you well. Nothing gets lost in the crowd, because there is no crowd, only your people.
Ella and Jordan didn't get married in Italy. They got married in a tiny chapel by the sea, surrounded by family, on a day that moved at exactly their pace. I think that's what they were looking for all along.
Ella and Jordan, thank you for trusting me with your story twice now: first in Balboa Park, and then on the day it all came together. It was an honor to be there.
