The blog of San Diego wedding and maternity photographer Rebecca Seal

Welcome to my blog!

As a wedding photographer with nearly a decade of experience, I take pride in knowing that my images will be cherished forever by the couple and their families. My photos have been described as fresh, vibrant and stylish, while maintaining a clean and classic aesthetic. Throughout the day, my assistant and I maintain a fun and relaxed atmosphere that allows us to capture not only the must-have traditional images, but true, emotional candid moments that will forever allow you to recapture the magic and relive the defining moment in your life together.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Family Portrait: La Mesa

I met Edwina several years ago when she was referred to me by a former wedding client. Edwina and her siblings were holding a surprise 50th Anniversary party for her parents Edward and Marie. The event took place in Old Town and was a huge success! The afternoon was filled with laughter, heartfelt speeches, and lots and lots of dancing! Having photographed several hundred weddings over the years this party was very special to me. It was incredibly inspiring to see a couple still so in love, surrounded by two generations of family that they had created.

Three years later I was delighted when I received an email from Edwina asking if I was interested in photographing her immediate family as they were all in town for a “mini” reunion. They wanted to keep things simple, not travel far from her home and had one morning available before brunch. They were all staying in La Mesa so I used the opportunity to take a couple of trips out to the nearby surrounding parks to find the perfect location. The first outing did not produce anything but the very last park on the second trip was a success. I found the perfect patch of shade without any soccer fields, metal fences, or parking lots behind it (that can be quite a feat in San Diego sometimes).

It was so good to catch up with everyone and amazing to see how quickly the kids had grown. Edward and Marie are still going strong and I am happy to report still so in love

Monday, June 27, 2011

Megan and Kyle; The Thursday Club, Point Loma

Posted in Point Loma, Thursday Club, Wedding

I had the pleasure of meeting Megan and Kyle through my wonderful personal trainer Jen Opaka from Progressive Fitness. I knew from the first meeting that these two were going to be a pleasure to work with.

Megan is an accountant originally from Colorado and Kyle is a firefighter and local San Diegan. They choose the Thursday Club not only due to its close proximity to their home but felt it was the perfect fit for capturing the “At Home Celebration” wedding theme they were looking for. These two pride themselves on hosting dinner parties for close friends and family that include both fine wines and exquisite dishes so with the help of Brenda from Swann Soirees they concentrated on bringing in personal touches from their home such as vases, dishes, and pictures that would complement their vision. They kept the ceremony personal by having Megan’s father officiate and had their two pugs attend the ceremony as guests. They also had something I have never seen (which is tough after attending hundreds of weddings), cake balls. I have seen cupcakes, doughnut towers, cookies, etc but never hundreds of individually decorated cake balls. I hear they were tough to find but Cake Ball Love pulled through and were divine!

I have worked with many brides and I must say I have never met a bride who looked so comfortable, so relaxed, and was so ready to have fun in her dress! From the moment Megan put it on she was all smiles and ready to just spin and spin…..We plan on doing a trash the dress session later this summer when it warms up so please check back for the update.

Congratulations you two, it was a beautiful wedding, thank you for letting me be a part of it!

Thank you to all the wonderful vendors who brought this day together-

Venue- The Thursday Club www.thethursdayclub.org

Coordinator- Brenda Swann www.swannsoirees.com

Catering- TK&A Custom Catering www.tka-catering.com

Music- Michael Tiernan www.tiernantunes.com

Make Up- Lipstick and Luster LLC www.makeupartistdirectory.com

Hair- Shannel & Co www.shannelandcompany.com

Cinematography- Omni Stories www.omnistories.com

Floral Design- Nancy Stevens www.nancystevens.com

Cake Balls – Cake Ball Love www.cakeballlove.com

Rentals- Classic Party Rentals www.sandiego.classicpartyrentals.com

Linens- A Perfect Table www.aperfecttable.com

Personal Trainig- Jen Opaka www.sdprogressivefitness.com

Posted in Point Loma, Thursday Club, Wedding Tags: Megan and Kyle

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Monica and Ryan; Balboa Park

Posted in Wedding

Welcome to Monica and Ryan’s sneak peek. I believe there are many qualities needed beyond basic camera “know how” to make a good wedding photographer. One of these qualities that I feel most passionate about is having the ability to truly listen to your clients’ needs and customizing a photography plan that incorpoarates their personalities. Some couples want coverage from the time they get up to the time they go to sleep, some prefer more privacy and want only the main events covered, some are right in the middle.

At our first meeting Monica expressed her concern about not being a big fan of having her photo taken, as she was a bit shy and her tendency was to get a bit “stressed” before important events. Taking that into consideration we decided it would be best for her to skip the getting ready portion of the day and to complete the couple photos after the ceremony. We did choose to shoot their individual and immediate family portraits beforehand, allowing some time to get warmed up in front of the lens and dividing the photo sessions into smaller pieces. We took our time, took breaks as needed, and had some fun letting Mother Nature work her magic on Monica’s veil (the picture below says it all)

The ceremony was an intimate affair, performed by Monica’s grandfather, and continued the Kamphius family tradition of getting married at Balboa Park, following in the footsteps of Monica’s parents and sister Maria. The reception was held upstairs in the Loggia Room, and the beautiful flower arrangements were created by Monica’s mother. The DJ was a close personal friend who wrote and performed a “love ballad” for them–it was pretty awesome.

These two were such a joy to work with and having been together for seven years already it was so inspiring to see how in love they still are. Just perfect. I wish you both many years of happiness!

Posted in Wedding Tags: Balboa Park, Monica and Ryan

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Kristen and Matt; Villa de Flores

Posted in Wedding

As usual for spring in San Diego, Mother Nature kept us on the edge of our seats leading up to Kristen and Matt’s wedding. Cold winds and rain had dominated most of the month of March, but as so often is the case here in San Diego the sun decided to come through at the last minute and join us for the beautiful celebration of Kristen and Matt’s new life together.

Their ceremony was held at Kristen’s family church, St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Encinitas, and the reception was held outdoors on the gorgeous grounds of Villa de Flores. The garden setting fit perfectly with these two’s relaxed attitude and was enjoyed by a hundred of their closest friends and family.

Matt is a pilot in the Air Force so Kristen surprised him with one of the best groom’s cakes I’ve ever seen (see pictures below) and he surprised us all when he busted out his personalized cow shirt, which had been hidden underneath his uniform the whole day. It was a fitting tribute to how they had met working on a dairy farm while in college at UC Davis.

Currently living in Oklahoma these two are preparing for the next chapter in their new life together with a move up to Alaska. Let’s wish them all the best and many years of safe travels.

Thank you to all the vendors who helped create this wonderful event-

Coordinator- Rachel Peniche www.planitandiego.com

Getting Ready Venue-The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe www.theinnatrsf.com

Ceremony Venue- St. Andrews Episcopal Church www.standrewsepiscopal.org

Reception Venue- Villa de Flores www.villadefloresevents.com

Catering- Crown Point Catering www.crownpointcatering.com

Cakes -Sweet Cheeks Baking Co www.sweetcheeksbaking.com

Flowers- Joyce LaVigne www.jdesignfloral.com

DJ- Toby Russell www.tobyrussell.com

Rentals- www.abbeypartyrentals.com

Posted in Wedding Tags: Kristen and Matt, Rancho Sante Fe, St. Andrews Episcopal Church, Villa de Flores

Monday, February 21, 2011

Shira and Gregg; The Thursday Club

Posted in Jewish Wedding, Point Loma, Thursday Club, Wedding

Talk about a couple who wants to have fun! Shira and Gregg are close friends of my wonderful assistant Jill and I was thrilled when they asked if I would be their photographer last year. Having hung out with these two at various birthday parties, bacherlorette parties, and bbqs over the past few years I knew we were a great fit. These two met on Eharmony and I’m pretty sure they need to be nominated for the next TVcommercial………as you will see from the photos, these two love to ham it up!

Everyone got ready over at the Sheraton Hotel on Harbor Island, then we had both bridal parties meet up for pre-ceremony photos at Liberty Station. I choose Liberty Station since we were going to be working with midday sun and wanted a place where we could not only get some shade but stay out of the way of all the vendors who were setting up at the Thursday Club. We then took some time during cocktail hour to get some shots of just Shira and Gregg around The Thursday Club and the nearby Sunset Cliffs. Luckily the weather gods were smiling down on us and I could not have asked for better lighting down at the beach, I LOVE when that happens.

Bethel Nathan did a fantastic job creating their ceremony vows, making them very personal, hilarious in parts, and so touching. I have to admit there were quite a few of us who were working hard to hold back a tear or two. A special note I would like to add for future brides getting married at The Thursday Club. Normally the ceremony is set up with the chairs facing north which makes for a long aisle to walk down but tends to get quite crowded up front with all the bridal party. Shira and Gregg chose to have everyone facing west and though it creates a shorter aisle it gave so much more room up front and from a photography perspective works much better.

I want to thank Shira and Gregg for being so wonderful to work with. The day ran so smoothly and the love you two have for each other was felt by all. I look forward to seeing you both soon and enjoy your sneak peek!