When Conner and I showed up to photograph Lorna & Jim’s Big Sur River Inn wedding, we found the groom lounging with his groomsmen on wooden chairs in the Big Sur River, just a few yards away from where was to be married in a few hours, enjoying cigars and some fine single malt scotch.

If that isn’t an indication that it’s going to be an amazing wedding, I don’t know what is.

The day continued in a similarly refined, low-stress manner. Lorna was casually getting ready with her bridesmaids in a suite just a few steps away from the steps she would descend at the start of the ceremony. The weather outside was incredible — warm sun filtered through tall redwood trees and warmed the thick green grass that served as the ceremony site. The scene invited relaxation and reflection, a perfect setting for a wedding.

It’s no secret that I’m in love with Big Sur, and that I love photographing weddings there. The Big Sur River Inn proved to be such an ideal wedding venue, it exceed all my (already high) expectations. Everything that was happening on the wedding day — from the rooms where the bride and groom got ready, to the ceremony site, to the deck where dinner was served and the room that played host to the reception — were all within an easy stroll of each other. And by stroll, I mean you can walk to each in 10 seconds. Most weddings involve some travel during the day (even if it’s just the drive from where the bride gets ready to the venue) but the Big Sur River Inn cut all that out, providing a very relaxing situation for all involved.

Lorna & Jim put together a beautiful and fun wedding day experience for their guests, with some very unique touches, like packages of s’mores (plus a fire to cook them over) and an end-of-night exit for the couple where all the guests held sparklers.

Check out my favorite shots from the day in the gallery below: