Celebratory Italian Garden Party Wedding at Coyote Hills // Natalie and David

Natalie and David’s wedding at Coyote Hills Golf Course in Fullerton, California was one of my favorite weddings of 2022. These two were right up my alley and I knew we were going to have a blast on their big day. Given that Natalie and David had originally planned a COVID wedding, they were long overdue to celebrate with their family and friends! I’m so excited to finally be sharing all of the epic photos from their wedding!

David and Natalie’s Wedding at Coyote Hills Golf Course

These two had to postpone their big day and wait an entire year after their original wedding date. Although that was a bummer, it allowed them to plan the most fun, joyful, and hyped celebration! Natalie took the full reins of wedding planning and created the entire vision for their day all on her own. How impressive, right?! They hired a day-of coordinator (which, I recommend ALL couples do, no matter what) so that Natalie could just focus on getting married, but the vision was all her. And she made sure to plan one hell of a party!

There was no doubt that David and Natalie (along with all of their favorite people) were beyond ready to celebrate their marriage. Their goal was for everyone, including themselves, to have as much fun as possible after having to wait so long to finally do the damn thing. They had a couple of their friends from hip hop (yes, they’re that cool) dance down the aisle in sunnies while throwing flower petals to Good Life by Kanye West and effectively hyping up the entire crowd. That was the vibe D + N set for their wedding!

They also had their officiant announce at the beginning that D + N wanted the crowd to be super engaged and high energy, giving the absolute best vibes possible. And you know what? THEY DELIVERED. When the wedding party and the couple walked down the aisle, the crowd went wild, clapping and cheering for them all the way down. It was such an EPIC thing to experience!

David and Natalie’s desire for everyone to have a good time went so much deeper than just wanting a party. David expressed that one of the things he was most excited about was seeing their favorite people actually enjoy themselves at the event that he and Natalie had worked so damn hard to put together. Natalie shared a similar sentiment, mentioning how she was most looking forward to just finally celebrating with their family and friends, watching everyone have a good time. I loved how these two weren’t just concerned about themselves enjoying their wedding day, but equally prioritizing the experience of their friends and family. And, let me tell you, their people had a fucking blast!

Why Natalie and David chose me as their California wedding photographer

As a wedding photographer, there are certain types of couples that I truly just vibe with. Those are couples exactly like David and Natalie; the chill, laid-back kinda people who can still turn up and get hype AF on their wedding day. They also wanted both candid and editorial photos (um, hello, my specialty!) from a photographer who could make them feel super comfortable in front of the camera and bring out their inner cool kids. And to top it all off, they were also so freakin’ fashionable – I was obsessed with Natalie’s classic, minimal, and chic dress as well as David’s velvet tux outfit change. Seriously, I could not have asked for a better couple to spend the day with.

When I asked them how they wanted to feel in 20 years when looking back at their wedding photos, this was their answer:

‘” ‘I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.’ – Andy Bernard from The Office

We basically want to feel the good old days when we see our photos. We want to remember the small and happy moments we got to share with just us two and also our guests. Intimate moments are really important to us because there will probably be very few we get to have with only each other on our wedding day.”

Going into their wedding day, I knew exactly how they wanted their moments captured. From their choreographed first dance to Lil Naz X’s “Industry Baby” to their after-hours flash portraits, it was so important to me that I documented their day exactly as it was – an intimate yet high-energy celebration with the people they loved the most.

If you’re as in love with David and Natalie’s photos as I am (and they are… check out the super kind words they left below!), then it’s time for us to get to know each other. To get in touch with me about photographing your Southern California wedding, reach out to me here and I’ll get back to you in a hot minute! In the meantime, feel free to slide into my DM’s so we can start obsessing over each other sooner rather than later.

Kind words from David and Natalie

“If you had any inclination to hire Karen as your photographer, I am here to tell you to go ahead and do it. On our wedding day, she made sure we were adherent to our timeline and was ready to help out with anything that was beyond her job description as a photographer. Her style and candidness in the photos were exactly what we’re looking for. She captured the energy of the day so wonderfully that I was still able to feel it through the photos.”