Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá - San Diego, California

Last week I shared with you my shots of the super moon from my first of many weekly photo-dates with my friend, Jamie. If you missed it you can see those here. This week we went to explore the oldest Mission in California; the Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá which was founded in 1769. When Jamie and I first pulled up around 6:00 p.m. we were immediately disappointed to see that the huge trees surrounding the church were casting massive shadows on the building. This may not sound like a big deal but the shadows were very distracting. Neither of us expected to get much out of the trip after that but ended up being very pleasantly surprised. It turns out in addition to the church the mission also has a beautiful gardens and lots of statues. There were many different kinds of flowers, aloe bushes and even a pomegranate tree. 

I really enjoyed exploring this little piece of San Diego's history. 

Here are my favorite shots from our visit. 

A lovely wedding in the mountains. Part seven - Details, details, details. {Miller Family}

Here it is. The very last preview. I can't believe all of the pictures are edited; the final count is 519 photos. Whew. This was by far the most photos that I have ever had to sort through and edit from a single event. I loved reliving the day as I worked through these photos but I will admit that when I reached the final photograph a feeling of complete relief came over me. :-) I'm anxious to pass these on to the family and I hope that they will provide them with wonderful memories of this beautiful day for years to come.

To Justin and Melanie, I love you both and wish you all the best!

If you have missed any of the previous posts you can find them here:

The Rehearsal, Getting Ready, The Ceremony, Wedding Party/Family, The Couple, The Reception.

A lovely wedding in the mountains. Part six - The Reception. {Miller Family}

After the ceremony and photos were taken up in the mountains we all headed back down to Colorado Springs for the reception. During the drive Melanie and Justin shared with me the story of how they met and fell in love and I'll be honest, it was my favorite part of the whole day. 

This couple is so obviously in love and I love that they shared their story with me. 

The reception took place at the brides parents house. It was a true country reception that included the roasting of an entire pig! So fun. 

Keep an eye out for Michael Jackson, he put on a special show for the bride and groom. 

Our very last preview is up next... all of the photos that just didn't fit in anywhere else.