A Midsummer Night's Dream at Hartley Botanica in Southern California

When I met with Carlynn and Jason a year ago, they told me their inspo for their wedding was a Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. I'm not much of a Shakespeare reader, but I can appreciate his elegance for prose. It wasn't until I showed up to the venue that I was able to see what they meant by a Midsummer Night's Dream.

You could not pick a more lush and beautiful venue in Southern California. I showed up early to scope the venue out and was absolutely blown away at this tropical oasis in Somis, California (Ventura County). I did a long walk around the venue to really scope out the endless possibilities of great spots to photograph Carlynn and Jason. It seemed like every corner I turned was a new beautiful spot. Even with ample time during sunset to photograph, I feel like I barely scratched the surface of what this venue has to offer. My favorite part overall though had to be the market lights strung across the entire reception area. It made for some magical bokeh in all of the reception photos. I'm pretty sure I nailed the best cake photo I've ever taken. Hahaha. Not a goal I've set out for myself, but it was impossible not to take some beautiful shots with all those lights.

At sunset we cruised around the venue and enjoyed all the lush spots around Hartley Botanica. We kept cruising through the botanical garden and made our way to the road. The sun setting over the hillside and the traffic flying by with their headlights on made for some magical shots. Carlynn and Jason had an incredible midsummer night's dream. Let this be an open invitation to any bride's looking for a venue in Southern California. Please book Hartley Botanica as your venue and book me as your photographer. :)