I miss love, the second time around. I miss the bride having her grandson/grandma dance.

I miss first looks with dad and tearful hugs with mom. I miss pre-ceremony chicken nuggets (while protecting your dress by wearing a garment bag!). I miss shooting weddings for work friends and family members and childhood friends.

I miss working with videographers to combine great ideas. I miss watching my cousin help dress her daughter as a bride. I miss goofy bridesmaids who are the life of the party! I miss brave brides who want to fly on their wedding day. I miss grooms who run off to the bushes to pee mid portrait session. I miss having to shoot at the worst light of the day. I miss mamas crying while dad dances with the bride. I miss watching my uncle get drunk for the first time in years.

I miss scrambling to find a place to shoot portraits in the rain. I miss that one cocktail I get to share with my assistant once the bulk of the party is done. I miss the entire party singing along to Sweet Caroline.  I miss wine down Sundays the day after weddings.

I miss car selfies with my bride and groom! I miss helping transport decor from the church to the reception.

I miss riding to the wedding with the nervous bride and her excited bridesmaids. I miss emotional first looks with the groom and his bride. I miss finding silly light test shots in my editing. I miss finding the perfect little hidden garden corner for portraits.
 

I miss the bride who has every cute getting ready photo pre-planned before I arrive.  I miss El Baile del Mandilon (The domesticated husband dance) and the hollers from the crowd. I miss getting too close to the champagne spray. I miss seeing my previous brides and grooms as guests at another wedding, expecting their first baby.

I miss limo rides with bridesmaids singing. I miss dads with top hats and shot guns. I miss grooms and groomsmen who just can’t hold a straight face.

I miss limos with blown suspension. I miss driving to abandoned wineries so the bride can have a photo where her parents got married. I miss hiking up through cow patties and stickers to get the perfect venue overview.  I miss brides with their own pitcher of wine slushies. I miss brides getting thrown over a shoulder and carried off for the night.
 

I miss working the same, way out the middle of nowhere venue two weddings in a row. I miss the bride who is so in love that all she can do is crinkle her nose and cling to her new husband’s arm. I miss beautiful walks on winding country roads. I miss table shots that turn into a huge impromptu photo of every guest from one side of the family.

I miss touching moments with grandma. I miss nervous brides who are just trying to hold it together when they walk down the aisle. I miss the couple who shares their first beer as a married couple at the altar.  I miss the bride who can’t stop saying the F-word into the microphone. I miss that beer wall! I miss working with our favorite DJ taking the backyard wedding to the next level party.
 

I miss working with yet another member of a family I’ve been photographing for years. I miss double wedding weekends with a 5 hour drive (and 40 degree temperature difference) between locations.  
 

I miss grooms who wont stop setting up wedding details to go get dressed. I miss driving out to the “beach” for photos and its not really a beach. I miss home made adult punch and neighbors being the bartender. I miss first dances in the redwood grove. I miss grooms shakin’ it for the crowd.

I miss groom’s who cant hold their emotions when their bride comes down the aisle. I miss groomsmen doing their own thing in the background. I miss the kids being “ring security”. I miss the demure bride who just has that “thing”.

I miss shiny church floors that make the most perfect reflections. I miss the long golf cart ride out to find the most perfect sunset photo location.  And again…the best DJ keeping everyone busy while you are gone.

I miss dresses so big that its takes 3 people to crawl under and fluff them. I miss dressing up again 3 weeks later for a bonus bridal session.
 

I miss setting the camera down to ride the mechanical bull at the rehearsal dinner. I miss moms and daughters holding hands when they get ready. I miss seeing great friends finally get married. I miss finding amazing spots to hang a gorgeous dress. I miss grandma putting her own jewelry on the bride. I miss impromptu sexy boudoir photos in the getting ready room. I miss the guys skeet shooting as their getting ready process. I miss photographers I haven’t see in years helping me shoot for the day. I miss tear filled vows. I miss that moment they leave the ceremony as husband and wife. I miss detail photos. I miss speeches from teen daughters that make everybody cry.

I miss seeing my co-workers joy at seeing her son get married (and planning to shoot her daughter’s upcoming wedding). I miss racing out to get that last family photo before the sun goes down. I miss the smoke bomb photos gone wrong. I miss the sunset photos gone right. I miss the little boys crying because he doesn’t want mom and dad to dance without him.
 

I miss the perfect winter mountain wedding. I miss the exquisitely decorated venue. I miss the bride and groom recreating their first date (fishing) on their wedding day. I miss catching the perfect sunset through the pines. I miss post wedding margaritas.
 

I miss 2019. I miss weddings, every last bad or great thing about them. And I can't wait to get back to all of those wonderful and annoying and joyous things.

Simply Dianna

I started my journey in photography at the age of 12 when my dad gave me a camera for my birthday. I was instantly hooked. For many years I shot photos as a hobby, capturing the world around me and sharing my images with anyone who would take the time to look at my scrapbook albums.

In the spring of 2001 my cousin decided I was going to shoot her wedding photos. Was I scared? Absolutely! But it came out pretty well and from there the referrals started coming in.

I later took a job at a local film lab (yes, I said FILM! I'm that old!) where I met some amazing mentors. They introduced me to an awesome world of education and opportunity.

Over the years I have developed great friendships with my regular portrait clients, watching their families grow through the years. Some of them started out as wedding clients, then maternity clients and now have become family clients. Forming these relationships with my clients is such a rewarding part of the business!

At this point I have come to love wedding the most. The anticipation and excitement of everyone involved combined with the constantly changing conditions keeps me excited to do what I do! 

Please RSVP HERE to let us know your plans.
 

David and Dianna  -  September 15, 2022  -  Pismo Beach, CA

We can't wait to share our favorite 3 day weekend getaway destination with the people we love. Please note that we understand the distance and cost do not make it possible for everyone to attend, but we wanted to make sure our closest family and friends know they are welcome to join us for an intimate beach ceremony and dinner in Pismo Beach, Ca. We have a very limited space for guests (like 25 or less) so please don't feel obligated to attend if the travel doesn't work for you. We will keep you with us in spirit and know you are sending well wishes our way.  If you believe you are unable to attend please let us know as soon as possible as we have additional people we would like to include if space is available for them. 

If you are able to join us here is what’s in store:

Wednesday Sept 14 Time TBD:  Evening Welcome BBQ at our hotel (Sea Crest Inn-CLICK HERE FOR DISCOUNT computers work best). No one wants to hunt for dinner after a long day of travelling! Feel free to join us for a BBQ on the hotel grounds overlooking the ocean. There are guest use BBQ's available, fire pits to warm you and hot tubs to enjoy if you would like. We will provide the main course, a few sides and drinks, but feel free to bring any of your favorite drinks or foods if you would like.

Thursday Sept 15 (Wedding Day!) Time 5:30: Explore Pismo Beach as much as you'd like before our late afternoon wedding ceremony on the beach below our hotel.  Approximately 3 flights of stairs lead down to the beach, where we will have a standing ceremony surrounded by all of you. It will be a simple gathering, officiated by a great friend of ours. We do not plan to have seating unless we have anyone who is not comfortable standing for the duration of the short ceremony. Please let us know if that's you so we can make sure you are comfortable!

After the ceremony we will stay on the beach for photos while our guests walk back up to the hotel and travel a few miles into town for a dinner reception at Giuseppe's Italian Restaurant. We will be in the outdoor garden so bring a light jacket. Heaters will be available but there can still be a chill in the air as this is the Central California coast in September.

Friday Sept 16th: for those who choose to stay and explore the area more, we will move north to Paso Robles for lunch and wine tasting and at 2 or 3 of our favorite wineries. There are hundreds of wineries to explore in the area. Feel free to make your own tasting tour or meet up with us at our scheduled stops. We will be hosting and making reservations for our wedding party and immediate family, however most of the area wineries will only allow reservations for parties up to 6-10 people. Because of this we will ask that those of you not in our immediate travel group make your own reservation at each winery. Once we have our exact times and locations we will share the information so that you can make reservations for the same time frame.

At the moment we have chosen to start at Opolo Vineyards for lunch and tasting at 12:30pm. They serve a variety of wood fired pizzas, salads and snack platters. Their wines are some of our favorites and for the non wine loving guests, they also have a distillery with spirits tastings on site.

We plan to end our day at Daou Vineyards at 3:00pm where the views are as beautiful as the wines. 

We suggest that you change hotels to one in Paso Robles for Friday night if you plan to wine taste and stay Friday and beyond. Paso Robles is a 40-45 minute drive north of Pismo Beach. Staying in Paso Robles is more convenient for travel and the hotels cost a bit less on the weekends.

See Helpful links below for Paso Robles Hotel information.

Saturday Sept 17th: We’re off for some private time together so you’re on your own! Head home or explore the area we love so much. There are countless wineries to explore, golfing, beachcombing and seaside shops to enjoy.

Please check back here for more info as our plans evolve.

Lodging in this area books up quickly. We suggest you make your reservations early!

Helpful Links:

Pismo Beach lodging

Seacrest Inn Hotel: CLICK HERE for our group discount. This booking system works far better on a desktop or laptop computer. Is funky on a mobile device!

Hilton brands lodging (Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton, Embassy Suites) 

San Luis Obispo lodging (15 minutes north of Pismo, better hotel rates!)

Best Western Royal Oak Hotel  https://www.royaloakhotel.com/

Paso Robles Lodging

Paso Robles Inn:  https://www.pasoroblesinn.com/ 

The Oaks Hotel & Suites (has restaurant bar onsite):  https://www.choicehotels.com/california/paso-robles/ascend-hotels/caf12?mc=llgoxxpx

Holiday Inn Express: https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/paso-robles/prbca/hoteldetail

Adelaide Inn: https://www.adelaideinn.com/

Best Western Plus Black Oak https://www.bestwesternblackoak.com/

To see what other wineries the area has to offer you can visit https://pasowine.com/

For our guests who prefer to travel in their RV's here are a few local RV Parks:

Note: Paso Robles Wine country consists of small, winding roads and no RV parking at wineries. If you're traveling with your RV and want to go wine tasting you will need to detach (for trailers), bring a tow behind car, Uber or plan to carpool with friends for the day.

Pismo Beach:

Pismo Coast Village approx $69-79 per night  https://pismocoastvillage.com/

Coastal Dunes RV Park and Campground approx $50 per night https://slocountyparks.com/camp/coastal-dunes/

Paso Robles:

Paso Robles RV Ranch   https://www.roverpass.com/c/paso-robles-rv-ranch-paso-robles-ca?fbclid=IwAR3vTGPdQXfk1IFqASBKiV3RInnLOAkEbiWj_X0QQYA-6tSoQQVUqxVYWtQ
Call 805-237-8685 for reservations

Suggested Travel route to Pismo Beach:

Google Maps show 2 routes...I-5 or US101. We have driven both and suggest the I-5 route. The US101 route heading South out of the bay area is beautiful, however it gets very congested and has heavy traffic causing slow downs from the bay area down through Salinas. These slow downs can add an hour or more to your travel time. The I-5 route is an easier drive with more services and faster flowing traffic. (I-5 south to Kettleman City. US Hwy 41 [becomes Hwy 46] west to Paso Robles. Connect to US101 South in Paso Robles)

Want to take the long way home and Explore? Hwy 1 is beautiful between San Luis Obispo and Monterey (weather and road conditions depending). There are many places to explore, such as Morrow Bay, Hearst Castle, Big Sur, Point Lobos State Park, Pebble Beach, Monterey....the options are endless!