We first met Elaine & Joey in May of 2017 for their totally fun and totally unique engagement session in San Diego at the Waterfront Park.  The couple went for a Pokemon themed engagement session which we were totally feeling (anyone else guilty of opening the Pokemon Go App while out & about?).

Elaine & Joey were married on February 3rd, 2018 in a beautiful church ceremony at St. Mary’s Church in National City, California. It was such a fun wedding to photograph as we had the opportunity to travel to a few locations throughout San Diego on the couples wedding day. Hopping around the city of San Diego with this wedding crew photographing all of the wedding day moments shared between Elaine, Joey and their bridal party was so much fun.

I started the day at Elaine’s Parent’s home in San Diego where the girls were getting prepared for the wedding day festivities.  We loved the classic silhouette of Elaine’s lace wedding dress from Brides by Demetrios in Mission Valley. It was strapless with a sweet heart neckline and the most delicate beading on the bodice. The couple opted for a soft neutral wedding color scheme which was reflected in their invitations and Elaine’s gorgeous bouquet bursting with green succulents and creamy carnations.  Meanwhile, Kevin one of Emry Photography’s associate photographer’s was at the Double Tree Hilton in Mission Valley hanging out with Joey & his groomsmen.

Then it was off to St. Mary’s Catholic Church in San Diego for the ceremony. Guests slowly filled the cathedral while Joey waited for his bride to show up. Elaine was escorted down the aisle by both her mother & father. All of the attention shifted as she was a breathtaking classic bride with her lace trimmed veil with the blusher veil down. We loved her cropped lace bridal jacket as well, such an elegant touch for this traditional church wedding. Like the two pieces of a puzzle the two came together to become one. In fact, the couple had a puzzle themed wedding. Leading us to remember this quote which we feel perfectly fit Elaine and Joey’s puzzle themed wedding:

Puzzle Pieces.

“Darling, your soul fits where mine feels empty.”

“and dear, your heart exists where mine feels lonely.”

“like the curve of you fits perfectly in the curve of me.”

-Mustafa Tattan & Maysa Mesto

Following mass we loaded up into the party bus with the newlyweds and their bridal party. We were off to our next location which just so happens to be one of our favorite San Diego photography locations, Coronado Island! We were able to capture some really beautiful photos of Elaine & Joey on the docks with the Coronado bridge as a backdrop. This is also where the couple opted to do all of the photos of the bridal party. What would bridal party photos in California be with out a little In-N-Out Burger? Kevin took some funny photos of the bridal party indulging in some double-double’s while I continued with the couples wedding portraits.

Next it was time to party! The wedding reception was held at the Hilton Double Tree in Mission Valley. We loved the glass terrarium center pieces on all of the tables. It was especially unique on the sweetheart table with terrariums of varying size and shape. The puzzle wedding theme was really pulled together in the reception with the couples puzzle piece cake which was unlike anything we have ever seen before, very cool.The couple had one of the pictures we had taken during their engagement shoot in San Diego made into a puzzle for guests to sign which was another creative touch showcasing their puzzle themed wedding. The couple also had magnetic wooden puzzle pieces in the place of escort cards that guests removed from the puzzle and placed at their seats. We loved how the wedding theme was present in little ways throughout the wedding. After the grand entrance, the newlyweds, family and friends danced the night away (with arguably the coolest money dance swag ever! I mean can we talk about the crowns made of bills?).

It was such a beautiful day. We loved hopping around San Diego with Elaine & Joey and cannot wait to share all of the sweet moments we were able to capture on their magical day.