A sunny rainy day on the beach, and the proverbial sense of humor.

Starting the year off right. My second wedding of 2009 was just as sweet as the first one. This time we were scheduled for a beach ceremony near sunset, but the weather report was not looking at all promising. I arrived at the La Jolla Cove - like I do - sort of obnoxiously early for when I was supposed to be there, and wandered around the park for a while doing some scenics:

So far, everything looked bright and sunny, with those stunning clouds in the distance. I walked down the stairs to Shell Beach, the ceremony site, and set my bag down on a rock so I could scope out the beach for a minute. When I looked back at the rock there was a juvenile seagull roosting on top of my bag. The early bird. I sometimes think life has a sense of humor.

Liz and Tony arrived with Liz's mother, two sisters, and two friends (not, I should add, the smallest wedding I've ever shot). After putting on Tony's boutonniere (a cute difficulty for weddings big and small), we walked the beach for a few portraits before their officiant showed up. Still sunny.

Right before the ceremony, the clouds began obscuring the sun, which had grown low in the sky by this time.

Sisters' excitement. One of my favorites.

A wonderful thing about ceremonies like this is that, with no one to block, I can get close enough with a long lens to see clearly the rings being placed for the first time.

Finishing up paperwork, and still dry:

After the ceremony, we made our way back up the stairs. I offered my congratulations to Liz and Tony, and as I was shaking Liz's hand, a raindrop hit my cheek. Less than a minute later, walking to my car, the sky opened up with sheer downpour, and I laughed while shielding my camera gear under the "just-in-case" umbrella.