Service
San Diego Wedding Photography
Timeless, candid coverage of your San Diego wedding day — ceremony, portraits, reception. I'm Mikayla — a San Diego–based photographer chasing golden light across every coastal city, park, and canyon in the county. Over the past 8+ years I've delivered 400+ galleries for couples and families who wanted their real story told, not a stiff catalog of poses.
8+ years
Full-time in San Diego
400+ galleries
Delivered on time
Fully insured
Venue certificates on request
5.0 rating
Google & The Knot
Wedding Photography in San Diego — my approach
Wedding coverage with me is a full-day partnership. I shoot getting-ready details, first-look moments, the ceremony from multiple angles, formal family portraits done efficiently, a golden-hour couple session, and the reception through first dances and toasts. I coordinate quietly with your planner, DJ, and officiant so the day flows, and I never pull you away from your guests for longer than the light demands.
Common problems I solve
You're worried about the timeline slipping
Every wedding I shoot gets a custom photo timeline built backward from sunset — first look, family formals, and couple portraits all land at the light they deserve. I share it with your planner and coordinator two weeks out so nobody guesses on the day.
One of you hates being photographed
Roughly half of my grooms tell me this at the consult. My fix is direction and pace — you'll never stand still wondering what to do, and by the couple portrait window you've forgotten I'm there.
You've heard horror stories about lost photos
Every image is written to two memory cards in-camera, offloaded to two hard drives that night, and uploaded to cloud storage before I sleep. Nothing exists in only one place until it's in your gallery.
Family formals always take forever
I send a family-shot list template two weeks out. On the day I call out groupings by name and we finish 12–15 combinations in under 20 minutes so you get back to cocktail hour.
What's included
- Pre-session consultation to plan location, timing, and outfits
- Professional on-location direction and gentle posing
- Full private online gallery with high-resolution edits
- Personal print release for family and social sharing
- Sneak peek gallery within 72 hours of the session
- Access to fine-art print shop and heirloom albums
My process, start to finish
- 1. Inquiry & consult. Send a note or call 760-539-9932. I'll reply within 24 hours to talk timeline, location, and vision — no hard sell, just a real conversation about what you're picturing.
- 2. Book & plan. A 25% retainer holds your date. I send a full prep guide covering wardrobe palettes, kid-wrangling tricks, timeline math for weddings, and exactly when to arrive for the best golden-hour light at your chosen location.
- 3. Session day. Warm, patient, unhurried. I direct the whole time so you always know what to do — and still catch every real moment in between. For weddings I coordinate quietly with your planner, DJ, and family so the day flows.
- 4. Sneak peek & delivery. Sneak peeks in 72 hours. Full gallery in 2–6 weeks depending on the session type, delivered through a private online gallery you'll have forever. You can share, download, and print directly from the gallery.
- 5. Prints, albums, and beyond. After delivery I'm still here — I design heirloom albums, help you pick wall art sizes, and store your full-resolution gallery so you can order more prints years later.
Locations I love in San Diego
A few of my favorite San Diego spots for wedding photography — click any city for local tips, best shooting hours, parking notes, and my go-to backup locations:
Popular San Diego wedding venues I've shot at include the Hotel del Coronado, the US Grant, Rancho Bernardo Inn, Cuvier Club La Jolla, the San Diego Botanic Garden, Sunset Cliffs bluffs (for elopements), Estancia La Jolla, and dozens of private-estate and backyard venues across North and East County. I bring venue-specific lighting notes to every consult.
Pricing & timeline
Wedding collections are custom-quoted based on hours of coverage, second-shooter needs, and any add-ons like engagement sessions or albums. Most full-day San Diego weddings land in a similar range; I send a full price sheet as soon as I confirm your date is open. A 25% retainer holds the date, with the balance due 30 days before the wedding. Payment plans available on request.
Why this session is worth it
Your wedding gallery is the single most-viewed set of images you'll ever own. It's shown to your future kids, printed for anniversary walls, revisited every year. Investing in an experienced, insured, redundantly-equipped photographer means the images actually exist to hand down — not lost to a corrupted card or a photographer who quit the industry two years later. My oldest wedding clients still order prints from galleries I shot in 2018.
Why couples & families choose Salt & Light
Local expertise
8+ years shooting exclusively across San Diego County — from Coronado beach ceremonies to Poway backyard sessions. I know the light, the parking, and the quiet corners.
Documentary + directed
I direct gently so you never feel awkward, then step back and let the real moments happen in between the prompts.
Fast turnaround
Sneak peeks in 72 hours; portrait galleries in 2–3 weeks and weddings in 4–6 weeks.
I follow the ethics and craft standards published by the Professional Photographers of America and stay current on wedding-day best practices through WPJA documentary training.
Book this session
Ready when you are.
Send a quick note and I'll follow up personally with pricing, availability, and next steps — usually the same day.
- • ceremony
- • reception
- • first look
- • bridal party
- • venue
- • getting ready
Loved by San Diego families
Real feedback from San Diego couples and families. The live Google review module will load here.
"Mikayla captured our beach wedding perfectly — every shot feels like a memory frozen in time."
"We booked our engagement session at Sunset Cliffs. Warm, patient, and the gallery blew us away."
"Our kids are three and one. She got smiles out of both of them in the first ten minutes."
"Maternity session felt so natural. The gallery came back faster than promised."
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do you shoot alone or bring a second photographer?
For most weddings I recommend a second shooter for angles and getting-ready coverage in two locations. It's an add-on I'll quote with your collection.
What's the timeline for wedding gallery delivery?
Sneak peeks within 72 hours (usually the next morning), and the full gallery in 4–6 weeks through a private online gallery you'll have forever.
Can we add an engagement session to our wedding collection?
Yes — bundled engagement + wedding saves $150 off the standalone engagement price and is my recommendation for every couple.
Do you offer wedding albums?
Yes — heirloom fine-art albums are available after gallery delivery. I design the first draft, you review, we iterate until it's exactly right.
What if we want an unplugged ceremony?
I love this. I'll help you draft an announcement for the officiant and position myself for the shots your guests would have blocked.
How far in advance should I book?
I book weddings 6–12 months ahead and portrait sessions 4–8 weeks out. Rush dates are sometimes possible — call me at 760-539-9932 and I'll check my calendar.
Do you travel across San Diego County?
Yes — every session includes free travel to all 26 cities in San Diego County, from Oceanside and Escondido down to Imperial Beach. I never charge mileage inside the county.
Other services
Ready to book your San Diego session?
Dates fill up fast in golden-hour season. Reach out today and hear back within 24 hours.