A wedding at The Lafayetter Hotel in San Diego

There are places that already know how to tell a story before you ever show up with a camera. The Lafayette Hotel has always been one of them.

It hums. Not loudly—but constantly. A low, confident buzz that comes from decades of reinvention, from cocktail glasses clinking a little too late into the night. This latest reinvention the hotel is going through is a cool one. and the rooms are beautiful and eccentric… Oscar Wilde on Molly.

The morning started slow, but there was definitely wedding energy in the air. Light filtering through tall windows. Bridal party people sitting on the edge of a bed, waiting their turn to get their makeup done, shoes kicked off, laughter spilling out between sips of coffee. No one was rushing. No one was performing. These are the moments you don’t schedule. They just happen if you give them room… and that’s the moments worth recording.

Out at the golf course, the boys were getting ready.

If the Lafayette was texture and rhythm, the golf course was tranquil, wooden accents, trophies, and lockers. A different vibe for sure, perfect for the boys… as they were playing video games, drinking, commenting on the basketball game unfolding (couldn’t tell you who it was… I don’t watch), etc.

The ceremony unfolded without fuss. Vows spoken clearly, honestly. No theatrics. Just two people standing in the open, saying things they meant, while the wind carried it all away into the grass. There’s something deeply grounding about weddings like this. Ones that don’t chase perfection but land squarely on truth—only how it feels.

That’s the heartbeat of documentary wedding photography.

Not poses. Not prompts. Just awareness.

As the sun dipped lower, the light did what it always does in San Diego—turned everything gold, beautiful, and generous. The couple walked together, not for the camera, but because they wanted a moment alone before the party really started.

Later that night, the energy shifted again after dinner… louder Music louder and stronger drinks, and a lot of people partying and having tons of fun. The kind of celebration where people loosen their ties, kick off their heels, and dance like no one’s watching—except, of course, someone is. And that’s the point.

This wasn’t a wedding designed to impress strangers on the internet. It was designed to be lived in.

Those are the stories worth telling.

And the ones worth remembering.