Wedding Photos of California

The following “California” images were created by documentary wedding photographers from the WPJA, who regularly submit their best candid moments, artistic portraits, details, and scene setters for review by our WPJA competition judges.

WEDDINGS + ELOPEMENTS + ARTISTIC PORTRAITS & DETAILS + ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS

Some of the “California” marriage photography samples below may have come from the getting ready events, the actual wedding ceremony, the reception after-party, an engagement session with the couple, or possibly be artistic portraits or detail shots.

FINE ART WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY: Our Artistic Guild award winners take a more creative approach to wedding day Portraits and use their innovative skills to capture the Details of each couple’s special day. The Artistic Guild’s Scene Setters are some of the most notable and breathtaking from within the artistic WPJA contest categories. Playing with light and shadow, special effects, and post-production editing, these images embrace the artistic component of wedding photography.

PRE-WEDDING ENGAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY: The story of every couple starts long before the wedding day, and the engagement marks one of the most important milestones in their story. Engaged couples often want to celebrate the occasion and announce their upcoming wedding with a photoshoot. Pre-wedding portraits of an engaged couple can be just as moving and compelling as the images taken on the wedding day. Engagement portraits can win a Diamond Award, an exclusive WPJA award whose winner is selected from the best engagement photography in the world.

The couple posed for a prewedding photoshoot in Sonoma, California, where the photographer captured them against the stunning backdrop of nature, creating a beautiful black and white reflection

In Sonoma, California, the couple posed for a beautiful black and white image showing the reflection of their love

The sweet couple can be seen walking hand in hand through the Fall foliage of the tree-lined roadway in Napa for their pre-wedding lifestyle portrait

In Napa, CA the couple enjoyed a fall lifestyle portrait session, walking hand in hand through a tree-lined lane

fall Napa Lifestyle Engagement Portrait Hand in hand middle of the road tree lined road Napa California

The couple enjoyed a joke in an art deco doorway of Beverly Hills City Hall, surrounded by a turquoise color palette, for their wedding picture

Beverly Hills City Hall's art deco doorway, surrounded by turquoise hues, was the backdrop for a wedding portrait

wedding portrait Beverly Hills Photographer turquoise hues California CA art deco doorway Beverly Hills

In this love portrait taken in San Jose, California, a couple embraces while looking out at the scenic view, surrounded by countless window frames and warm colors

This love portrait depicts a couple embracing while taking in the beauty of the landscape, framed by the windows and illuminated with warm colors

San Jose photographer San Jose CA wedding portrait CA couple embracing California landscape windows

The newlyweds share a romantic kiss in a hut overlooking a tranquil pond surrounded by wildflowers at Stinson Beach, California

The newlyweds share a romantic moment in a picturesque setting of a hut overlooking a peaceful pond surrounded by a lush carpet of wildflowers

tranquil pond California photographer CA Golden Gate National Park Service California wildflowers Stinson Beach

The bride and groom were framed beautifully by a gondola support anchor during a gorgeous sunset at the Lake View Lodge in Lake Tahoe

At Lake Tahoe's Lake View Lodge, a gorgeous sunset framed the bride and groom with a gondola support anchor

Lake Tahoe photographer California Heavenly Mountain Resort gondola support El Dorado County support anchors Lakeview Lodge

At a private house in Bel Air, California, the bride and the groom are about to break a glass at the same time during their wedding ceremony

The bride and groom are eagerly anticipating the moment they will simultaneously shatter the glass in their joyous wedding ceremony

socal Bel Air Outdoor Ceremony Bel Air Photographer glass breaking ceremony California Bel Air

The groom ties his necktie while his bride watches him at the Silver Lake Pool & Inn, Los Angeles, California

The bride watched as the groom tied his necktie in the mirror

Los Angeles Silver Lake Pool & Inn fixing tie bride getting ready California Los Angeles wedding photography

At the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Escondido, CA, the brides nephew looks at the brides bouquet of flowers

The brides nephew admires the delicate bouquet of flowers as he watches the ceremony unfold

San Diego Wild Animal Park California Escondido San Diego Zoo Safari Park san diego outdoor ceremony zoo San Diego Photographer

The night ended with the bride and groom sharing a kiss at Ruth Bancroft Gardens before departing with their guests on the bus

The newlyweds concluded the evening with a romantic embrace before taking their leave alongside their guests

California Walnut Creek Photographer departure Walnut Creek waving The Ruth Bancroft Garden CA

The bride and groom, along with their dog, had colorful night portraits taken at a Joshua Tree, California Airbnb using neon lights

Joshua Tree, California: Colorful night portraits of bride, groom and dog with neon lights at Airbnb

CA Joshua Tree Photographer JOSHUA TREE night portrait California colorful Joshua Tree National Park

This couple were taking in the last light of the day in Joshua Tree, California, as the full moon rose in the sky

In Joshua Tree, California, the full moon rose as the couple watched the last light of day

California Joshua Tree Photographer desert portrait full moon JOSHUA TREE rocks Joshua Tree National Park

In San Francisco, California, the Couple Enjoy the Wedding Cake Smash

The couple had a great time smashing the wedding cake

san francisco wedding photographer wedding cake cake smash California red curtain San Francisco

In San Jose, California, the couple stands on the stairs overlooking the Tea Ceremony Gifts below, their faces hidden from view

The couple, their faces obscured, observe the Tea Ceremony Gifts from the top of the stairs

stairs faces hidden tea ceremony California San Jose photographer San Jose

The couple stand indoors in front of a large window, illuminated by photographer's flash, savoring a peaceful few minutes alone before their wedding reception in San Francisco, California

The couple are posed in a Black and White portrait in front of a grand window, prior to their celebratory reception

California window San Francisco San Francisco photographer lit portrait black and white

The newly engaged couple smiles as they stop to talk along a snowy path in Kahle Park, Lake Tahoe California during their engagement picture session

The newly engaged couple beamed with joy as they embrace along the snowy path, their love radiating elegance and class in their engagement picture session

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe engagement session snowy path couple embrace Kahle Park California

Best Santa Cruz wedding venue photography in California of Father and daughter do a surprise flip, Full frame, not cropped a hair

California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz photographer dance floor flip

An after the wedding proposal engagement picture session in Saratoga, California created Before he deploys in the military

Saratoga Photographer Tyler Vu California Saratoga military uniform

A romantic engagement session at Sacramento, California created down at the park under a cool arch of the tree

Sacramento Photographer Sacramento couple under tree park engagement California Brandon Lai

Los Gatos couples lifestyle outdoor photography with a mischievous look from their furry baby dog

pets CA Photography California lifestyle Los Gatos dog California

A Lake Tahoe Wedding, Elopement, and Engagement Photographer created this artistic, romantic portrait of this California couple at Pearson-Arastradero Preserve - verticle image of the couple embracing in a meadow

Pearson Arastradero Pearson Arastradero Preserve CA embracing meadow California

A Lake Tahoe Wedding, Elopement, and Engagement Photographer created this creative, sunset portrait of this California groom to be holding his bride to be in the countryside with dog at Pearson-Arastradero Preserve

countryside sunset pets Preserve bride to be dog dogs

A San Francisco Wedding, Elopement, and Engagement Photographer created this creative, beach portrait of this Capitola couple walking on the sand at a beach

Capitola couple Beach Portrait beach walking sand California

A California Wedding, Elopement, and Engagement Photographer created this creative, rural portrait of this Santa Cruz couple embracing in the wildflowers

California Engagement Photographer Santa Cruz California Santa Cruz couple embracing rural

San Francisco actual wedding day couple portrait by the seaside with the Golden Gate Bridge as their backdrop

Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco California San Francisco couple portrait backdrop Golden Gate Bridge portrait

A great wedding day image from a San Francisco venue of dancefloor at the reception

CA wedding day San Francisco venue dance floor dancing reception San Francisco

A beautiful San Jose couple portrait of the couple on a cliff by the waves of the Pacific Ocean in California

waves San Jose Pacific Ocean Pacific cliff ocean CA couple

Great wedding photography of the couple in a window from San Jose

Great CA wedding photography of the couple in a window from San Jose

window Jipeng Han San Jose bride CA Wedding Photography CA couple California San Jose

San Jose artistic wedding photography style in an image of the bride and groom holding hands and walking

San Jose Jipeng Han San Jose artistic wedding holding hands bride and groom Untied States California

A San Francisco couple portrait in BW with tall, bare trees against a white sky

bw bare trees white sky CA bride California San Francisco couple portrait

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WPJA contest judges have been recognized by their industry peers, winning top awards as staff picture editors, staff photojournalists, and newsroom mentors while working for these and other leading publications and journalism organizations.