Carmel-by-the-Sea Wedding Photographer
Venue - Lucy's Childhood Home
Design and Planning - Marina Malcolm
Photography - Thomas North
Videography - @californiaweddingvideographer
DJ - Danny Malcolm
Florals - @wetalkflowers
Hair - @taycd.styled.me
Pavlova - Laura Malcolm
Wedding Singers - Mathew, William and @vocalswithlaura
Some couples dream of a destination wedding. Others dream of getting married at home, surrounded by the people who watched them grow up. Lucy and Boyd did both — and the result was one of the most thoughtful, heartfelt weddings I’ve had the privilege of photographing.
When Lucy first reached out, I knew this was going to be something special. Her eye for detail, her sense of style, her clear vision for what she wanted — it was all there from the very first conversation. She had a plan: split the wedding photography into two parts. A week before the ceremony, we’d head to Carmel-by-the-Sea, her and Boyd’s favorite place on the California coast, for a full bridal portrait session. Then, on the wedding day itself, the focus could shift entirely to the ceremony, the family, the dancing, and the moments that only happen once.
As a Carmel-by-the-Sea wedding photographer I think it’s a brilliant idea, and honestly, I wish more couples thought about it this way.
Carmel-by-the-Sea: Where the Light Belongs to You
Carmel is one of those rare places that feels like it was designed to be photographed. The white-sand beaches, the cypress trees, the charming stone archways and cottage-lined streets — everything you look at is a picture waiting to happen. But what makes it truly magical is the light. That golden-hour glow rolling in off Monterey Bay is unlike anywhere else in California.
With no timeline pressure and nowhere else to be, Lucy and Boyd were completely at ease. We wandered the streets, found quiet doorways and sun-drenched staircases, made our way down to the beach as the sun dropped toward the horizon. Lucy’s dress — stunning against every backdrop we found — moved beautifully in the coastal breeze. Boyd barely took his eyes off her.
These were the portraits they’ll pass down someday. The ones with no distraction, no stress, no clock ticking. Just the two of them, the Pacific, and a perfect California afternoon.
Fresno: A Backyard Wedding Done Right
A week later, we gathered at Lucy’s childhood home in Fresno — and the Malcolm and Boyd family showed up in full force.
The wedding was designed and planned by Lucy herself and her sister-in-law, Marina Malcolm, and the love poured into every detail was unmistakable. The florals from We Talk Flowers were lush and romantic. Hair by Tayten Dowie was flawless. And the pavlova — handmade by Lucy’s sister Laura — was the kind of homemade touch that makes a wedding feel real.
But what really set this reception apart was the music. Lucy’s brothers, Mathew and William, and her sister Laura each took the mic to sing for the couple. Her father, Danny Malcolm, sang too — before pulling Lucy close for the father-daughter dance, backlit by the golden glow filtering through the trees. It was the kind of moment that doesn’t need any staging.
The ceremony, the first dance, the mother-son dance, the bubble exit — all of it unfolded in the yard where Lucy grew up. There’s something irreplaceable about that.
A Note on the Two-Part Approach
I’ve photographed a lot of weddings, and one thing I’ve learned is that wedding days move fast. There’s rarely a quiet moment to step away and get the kind of editorial portraits that couples treasure most. Lucy’s idea to separate the portrait session from the wedding day gave us both — beautiful, unhurried images from Carmel, and authentic, emotional candids from Fresno. Not a trade-off. Both.
If you’re planning a wedding and wondering whether this approach might work for you, I’d love to talk.
