I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Amanda and David in Coronado in June. Amanda got ready with her girls and her family at Loews Coronado, which I’d been to a few times before, but what was new for me was shooting on the grounds of the Coronado Community Center. It’s a really amazing spot right on Glorietta Bay, and the ceremony was set up to face the water, so it made for a fantastic location.

You might remember seeing some engagement images of Amanda and David on my blog from Balboa Park earlier. Amanda and David both looked amazing together then, and they looked even more amazing together dressed for their wedding. I’m going to share more than a handful of images here.

Amanda’s Mom watched as her girls buttoned her into her dress.

As if on cue, the sun finally started to break through the clouds of June as the ceremony reached the big kiss.

I have to admit, I love it when there’s a candy bar for favors. I meant to get some Sour Patch Kids, but I got too busy shooting!

As a kid, I  knew how lucky I was to enjoy home cooked lasagna and spaghetti when we used to visit my dear grandmother Mary DeFalco.  I used to look forward to holidays when I knew Grandma had bolognese sauce on the stove, usually starting at least one or two days in advance.  I really miss my Grandmother and her cooking, but ever since I moved to the El Cortez last year, whenever I crave amazing Italian cuisine, all I have to do now is walk downstairs to the Sole Luna Cafe’. Sole Luna has become like an extension of my home, with the amazing food and all the regular patrons from the neighborhood I’ve come to know, so I was thrilled when they asked me to photograph some of their fare for an upcoming web site update.

I’ll share a few examples here, of some of my favorite dishes that I enjoy  probably way more often that I should…but I can’t help it! In case you’re not familiar with the location, it’s an easy one to find. Just look for the building on Ash St. that’s been an iconic symbol on the San Diego skyline since 1927.

I’ll start with one of the all time favorites: Lasagna Bolognese! It’s one of their staples and popular reason for return visits!

Sometimes when I’m in the mood for vegetarian, which is often, I love their Veggie Lasanga too. One of my other favorites is the Ravioli Genovesi. It’s a four cheese ravioli, but with an amazingly rich basil pesto sauce that is out of this world.

Maybe it’s because Alessandro and Gigio brought a lot of their recipes with them from Italy, but even something as simple as penne pasta with a bolognese sauce is uniquely Sole Luna.

The Mare Salad has a combination of smoked salmon, shrimp, hearts of palm, cucumber and a lemon olive oil dressing. Yum!

Another ‘comfort food’ for me, the Ravioli Boscaioli – mushroom ravioli with their signature creamy bolognese and mushroom sauce.

Let’s not forget desserts! ( and an espresso martini!) I have a daily coffee habit thanks to living above Sole Luna Cafe…their espresso grind is authentically Italian and makes me feel like I’m back in Europe everytime I have a cappucino.

In May, I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of David and Lani aboard the Hornblower Emerald. We started out quite conveniently right across the street from the boat dock at the hotel where Lani was getting ready. As you can see, it was another perfect San Diego day for a wedding on the bay!

David had a few minutes to calm his nerves and chat with his Mom and Dad just before we left the dock and the ceremony began.

Flowers were done beautifully by Janay at  Kenner and Sons.

We took some time after the cruise to take a walk through downtown, just one-on-one with Lani and David. The cruise was a big success, and having some time together was a nice reward for them both!