Chart House Dana Point Weddings

One of the best parts about being a Dana Point wedding photographer is that it exposes you to so many different families, religions, cultures, styles, interactions, signature cocktails, and most importantly, people. I’m all about maximizing the human experience, so whenever I get the opportunity to photograph anything that breaks from the traditional wedding day, I’m all in. So when Camille began telling me about her Bulgarian sidekick Vesela and their Jewish wedding at the Chart House in Dana Point, California, I was ready to rock. I photographed my first same-sex wedding in Temecula at Danza Del Sol Winery last year, and the experience was incredible.

So needless to say, I was excited about Camille and Vesela’s real wedding and meeting their entire squad. These two women were passionate, intelligent, and certainly liked to have a good time. Therefore, I knew this wedding on Green Lantern Street would expose me to a lot of awesome things. One example: the Bulgarian tradition of kicking a copper pot filled with water and flowers to predict the sex of a couple’s first child (apparently Camille and Vesela are having twins). Bulgarians also believe that when someone spills a drink, it means a dead family member is thirsty, so it isn’t a party foul at all. Simply a grandparent wanting their fair share of the open bar! Cheers to that.

The perfect venue Camille and Vesela chose was Chart House, located in Dana Point, California. Chart House is a cool little spot with a rad view overlooking Dana Point (near Laguna Beach) and the Pacific Ocean, though it does present one challenge. Since it’s a functional restaurant and not just a wedding venue, all ceremonies have to happen early in the day. That means 11:30 a.m. starting times and some real harsh lighting conditions. Therefore, we planned on doing the majority of the portrait session down at the beach after the wedding reception. That’s really a good decision for any wedding photographer working with Chart House as a venue. We ate cake, drank from the open bar, cruised the beach, and basically had an awesome time. Below are some of the wedding photos from Vesela and Camille’s Dana Point, California coast private event.

Private Event Spaces at Chart House Dana Point

Chart House sits atop a steep bluff overlooking the Pacific, and on a clear day the view stretches roughly 50 miles down the coast to La Jolla. Couples planning a larger wedding can reserve the entire restaurant for up to 200 guests, or choose one of two dedicated event spaces depending on the size and feel they’re after.

Couples seeking an outdoor wedding venue in Dana Point, CA, should seriously consider taking a tour of Chart House for their California wedding. Ceremonies and receptions can both be held at the Dana Point restaurant that offers breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean, and the dance floor comes included.