El Adobe de Capistrano Wedding Photography

with our sweet couple, Priscilla & Andres

This was my first time shooting at the El Adobe de Capistrano restaurant in San Juan Capistrano, and having the reception ceiling open up in the middle of the first dance was awesome to see!  But first, they started with Priscilla’s preparation at her parents’ home, while Andres got ready at the nearby Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel.  We had the first look there, but I must warn other bride-to-be’s that they are really starting to crack down on photography in any high-end hotel when you don’t have your wedding there.  But a big part of our job is improvising, so we hopped down to the beach and got some awesome photos there instead.  The ceremony was at the St. Edward Catholic Church in Dana Point, which had an amazing view of Dana Point from above, along with 180 degrees of 2nd floor balconies (great for unobtrusive candid Catholic ceremony photos). So continue to see our Adobe Capistrano wedding photography coverage of this day!

Some brides use a ton of tattoo coverup makeup on their wedding day; some brides embrace it!

Then we hopped over to the Dana Point (depending on how you look at it, Laguna Niguel) Ritz Carlton for preparation coverage of the boys.

There is a beautiful, well-lit staircase at the Ritz-Carlton that is perfect for a first look.

And they had their dog as a part of the wedding day!

The ceremony was at the Dana Point St. Edward Catholic Church, which has large windows and a very open space (a modern design by Catholic standards).  The view from the gardens of the ocean and Dana Point was where we did their family formals after the ceremony.

Here is where we shot down at the beach after we were asked to stop photography at the Ritz Carlton.  Even though it was in the middle of a very bright midday, I had a very strong light to compete with the sunlight.

They brought a Darth Vader mask, so I did what any respectable Star Wars geek would do….

At St. Edwards Catholic Church, they had this beautiful series of arches going right down the parking lot.

Onto the wedding reception!  The El Adobe de Capistrano restaurant has an awesome space for wedding receptions.

And then the ceiling opened up above us in spectacular fashion.  I think the El Adobe de Capistrano restaurant is the only wedding venue that I have ever seen do this before.

What an awesome end to a beautiful wedding at the El Adobe de Capistrano restaurant in San Juan Capistrano.  Wedding photography at this venue practically shoots itself!  El Adobe de Capistrano restaurant is located in the south Orange County city of San Juan Capistrano.  Note that the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel (Dana Point) is extremely restrictive on photography if you are not having your wedding there.

This article shows Adobe Capistrano wedding photography as seen through our eyes. For more examples of our work, check out our Instagram. For example, here are wedding photos we took at the San Juan Capistrano Mission. There are also more examples of weddings in Orange County here on our blog.