I spend a lot of time hoping for nice sunsets. Often, the Monterey area disappoints — a marine layer turns sunset into grey nothingness. But sometimes, everything comes together just right to make an incredible display of oranges and reds.

At Jill & Mike’s Carmel Mission wedding, the sunset exceed all expectations. (I mean, just look at that image at the top of this blog post!)

The sunset certainly wasn’t the only beautiful thing about their wedding day. The Carmel Mission is one of the top wedding destinations in the Monterey Bay area for good reason. The historic San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo Mission is a gorgeous setting for a ceremony, and the grounds of the mission offer stunning locations for photos.

Jill and Mike were taken from the ceremony to the reception in an awesome 1955 Chevy, which we got some pictures with outside their Carmel reception venue, Quail Lodge & Golf Club. Inside, the venue was being readied for a great party by planner Mandi of A Sparkling Event, whose role in putting together Jill and Mike’s wedding was so significant that she was thanked personally in the wedding program. Dj Andrew of 831DJ.com got the dance party going after that amazing sunset.

From beginning to end, a fantastic day. To see my favorite photos, check out the gallery below.