Cottonwood Farms Temecula Wedding | Sebastian & Jessica

I love each and every wedding I shoot because they are all unique. However, this Temecula wedding was extra special. One of my best friends was getting married to his high-school sweetheart.

When Sebastian had asked me to be his photographer I was honored. I feel there’s something about this business that makes it hard to show your friends what you’re worth. So when a close friend genuinely values what you do, it makes you want to go above and beyond.

Sebastian & Jessica chose Cottonwood Farms in Temecula, CA for their wedding. It was a beautiful venue complete with a cottage for the bride and her bridesmaids, as well as a separate housing unit for the groom and his groomsmen. It even has a pool with a bar! For rehearsal dinners and pre-ceremony activities, the pool & spa was an awesome touch.

The day started as most weddings would; taking some getting ready photos and gathering some smaller detail shots. This really helps with everyone getting used to a camera being pointed in their direction all day. These bridal details were shot right next to the Cottonwood Farms pool. It had great directional light and provided a great spot to hang the dress. The rings you see above are not the wedding rings. These rings were a gift to the bride from the groom. She has a very young son named Luc. After their marriage, he would now be Luc Smith.

Jessica was writing her vows in her journal while she was getting her hair done. I captured this moment and then proceeded to the groom’s room. He had just finished writing his vows and the journal with the pen was still lying out. So on the left is Jessica writing her Vows, and on the write is Sebastian’s vows for Jessica. These two images were captured just minutes apart.

With the bridesmaids’ dress colors and the beautiful soft light in the bridal cottage, Jessica and her girls looked like a Disney fairy-tale. I was hoping birds would fly in and we’d all break out in song. That didn’t happen though.

Now moving on to Sebastian getting ready.

Seb and I used to ride BMX bikes together. A lot. We traveled to different countries together, performed in shows at theme parks together, and spent hours digging in the dirt together. Basically, 99% of the time we spent together was with helmets on, covered in dirt, or sweating in the blazing Kansas City Sun. I had no idea Seb was a GQ model! I was impressed. He almost looked as good as his bride!

I think this first look will speak for itself.

After shooting the wedding party, it was time to start the beautiful Cottonwood Farms wedding ceremony. The direction of the sun with the big cottonwood tree made for beautiful imagery. The first look emotions were back and in full force!

Right above this text was my favorite part of the entire day. This made even myself emotional. After expressing the love he had for Luc, Sebastian had given Luc a ring to match his own.

“Celebrate good times”

We got to sneak in some more portraits of the couple after the ceremony, but my most favorite photos come later!

The grooms quarters at Cottonwood Farms overlook the dance floor area. This made for a great opportunity to run up the stairs and capture this birds-eye view of the first dance.

Sebastian’s grandpa kicked off the dinner with a prayer.

Now for my favorite part. This was my first time doing wedding photography in Temecula. I had never shot at Cottonwood Farms before and I didn’t have a ton of time to just walk around and explore. But! As people were finishing up dinner, I could see this glow beginning to come from the west side of the venue. I grabbed my second shooter and Adam Sims (Videographer). We grabbed the couple and followed the light until it was gone, moving higher up the mountain as the sun continued to set.

Enjoy!

Environmental couple’s portraits… I love those!

I love cake too.

The wedding day was jam-packed from the morning details all the way until the dancing stopped. It was such a wonderful day, and a wonderful story. Thank you so much, Sebastian and Jessica, for letting me tell your story.

-Nic

ABOUT ME: Hi! My name is Nic Hilton. I am a destination wedding photographer based in Los Angeles. I shoot many weddings in the Mammoth Lakes area as well as Southern California but I am available to travel worldwide! Contact Me today because I would love to tell your story.