My STORY and My TEAM.
Hello there …
I am happy you are here!
I am Mariela, founder and creative director of MCP
It started over 15 years ago as a solo passion, a few years after I brought Demetris in. We are now a collective of talented photographers. Together, we capture love stories with honesty, documenting real-life celebrations in a candid, photojournalistic style with a touch of editorial.
I’m Mariela
I’m an Aussie-Chilean based in Riverside, California, and travelling throughout California and beyond, capturing love through elopements and weddings. I’m passionate about documenting genuine love stories and fostering authentic human connections..
Together, Demetris & I take our Photography and Video wanderings throughout California, including Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, Orange County, San Diego County, Santa Barbara County, Mariposa County, Tulare County, Monterey County, San Luis Obispo County, San Francisco County, and BEYOND. North to South.
WE WANDER THROUGHOUT THE SOUTHWEST, THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST + BEYOND.
MEET THE TEAM
MARIELA
FOUNDER, CREATIVE DIRECTOR & LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
With over 15 years of experience, I have captured weddings in a seamless blend of photojournalistic and editorial styles, recently incorporating my passion for film photography into my work. I document weddings across California and neighboring states, with some out-of-state favorites including Oregon, Washington, Montana, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. I have been featured on numerous digital platforms and magazines, showcasing my dedication to capturing timeless moments.
The ocean breeze and the California coast have my heart—towering trees and crisp, fresh air, mountains, and serene lakes. I am drawn to the quiet beauty of simple moments; I am always on the hunt for Turkish coffee when I'm not home, as if it were the elixir of life. ( Hubby spoils me when we are home), And a trip without a thrift shop stop is not a trip!
The videographer behind the lens and the tech brain behind the scenes. Demetris is an IT nerd with a serious sweet tooth—if ice cream or fresh baked goods are involved, he’s in. When he’s not capturing love stories on video, you’ll find him geeking out over YouTube deep dives or spinning his favorite Latin vinyl records in his favorite ‘90s sweatsuit (comfort is key, after all). But most of all, Baking, his artisan and sourdough breads, along with his favourites, donuts, cinnamon bread, banana nut bread, and so on.
A visual learner through and through, Demetris brings his love for storytelling into every elopement film, making sure your memories feel as real and alive as the day itself. And road trips? He’s all about them—as long as he’s the one driving (and there’s a good salsa playlist queued up). He married a Latina, so the Latin music obsession worked out pretty well.
JACOB
LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
Jacob has been with MCP for two years, photographing weddings and bringing to life your special moments with styles of romance, lifestyle, and dark/moody vibes. Laid back and calm under pressure, always friendly, personable, and ready to laugh and have fun all day. He specializes in capturing quality candid moments that highlight your and your guest's joy in celebrating. You’ll feel like you’ve known him for years. He aims to help make the process comfortable, easy, and fun. He views human kindness as a gift and tries to follow this path, bringing happiness to every moment and person I meet.
Outside of photography, Jacob loves to spend quality time with his daughter or fix something around the house.
LUCIA
LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
Lucia is the newest member of the MCP team, and we’re so excited to have her! Specializing in both digital and film photography, she captures candid moments and heartfelt stories with a thoughtful, emotive approach.
Lucia’s warm and calming presence puts you at ease. Her remarkable talent for blending into the background while capturing meaningful details makes her an exceptional team member.
A fun fact? Lucia was once one of Mariela's brides! Her wedding experience gives her a unique perspective on creating stunning, personal images. You’ll love her talent and genuine spirit as much as we do!
NIKA
VIDEO & PHOTO CONTENT CREATOR
CONTENT CREATOR & WEBSITE DESIGNER
Nika brings over five years of versatile wedding industry experience, including assisting lead photographers, third-shooting, supporting planners, and co-running a luxury picnic company. As a skilled graphic designer with exceptional website design expertise, she adds creativity and precision to every project.
A proud dog mom and sitcom fan (The Big Bang Theory and Friends are her favorites), Nika loves coffee-flavored ice cream (despite being lactose intolerant) and enjoys soups and salads. Her professionalism, creativity, and warmth make her a joy to work with.
MALIK
super 8 specialist
SUPER 8
Meet Malik, the newest and youngest member of the MCP team! With three years of Super 8 experience and four years in the wedding industry, with his creative direction as a film photographer, Malik brings a fresh perspective and bold creativity to every wedding and elopement he captures. His fashion-forward and editorial style adds a unique edge to our work, making him a perfect fit for modern couples looking for something extraordinary. Fun, energetic, and brimming with talent, Malik is ready to turn your special moments into timeless, cinematic memories.
KRISTINE
LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
for Arizona only
LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
Kristine has been with MCP for 13 years, photographing weddings as a 2nd and a lead around Southern California using film and digital with a documentary style.
Ready to help you slip on your shoes, grab your signature drink, or wipe the sweat from your brow while capturing those essential moments on your wedding day and the candid moments in between.
Kristine specializes in capturing a large volume of imagery that highlights you and your guests' fun, candid, and spontaneous moments.
She is a coffee snob, a foodie at heart, a home chef, and a fitness and hiking enthusiast who enjoys the outdoors.
WORK WITH US
KIND WORDS
Client Reviews
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Mariela captured our day so beautifully. The most enthusiastic, supportive, outstanding, helpful, and lovely photographer also happens to take the best photos! She went over and beyond our expectations. She created an outline for our wedding to capture all the images we wanted to preserve, even discussed lighting and the sunset time ( we weren't thinking about that). She genuinely cared and took the time to capture the best photos. She is patient, professional, and funny :). I cannot imagine my wedding date without her. She pays attention to every detail; was super sweet to include our dog Lucas in our portraits. We were pleasantly surprised when we received our wedding pictures and found Lucas's candid images (our dog). She is amazing! ~ MICHELLE + ALEX ~
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Beyond awesome customer service! Mariela is a true trooper! My engagement photos were a trek to get to but with Mariela’s positive attitude she made it adventurous. For our wedding day, she was punctual. Her easy and fun-going attitude made the day go flawlessly especially with all the must-have pictures. Very professional and quick responses to any matters. ~ IVANY + JOSH ~
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Mariela is the absolute BEST!! Love her! Mariela = ASTONISHING!! She really is the absolute best! We can’t thank her enough! We booked our engagement session with her too and I’m so glad we did because for our wedding pictures, it was like we were with a friend. ZERO awkwardness. She made us feel so comfortable and more importantly, made us look good in our wedding pictures. On the day of the wedding, we were off to a bad start with other vendors and other people overwhelming me. I couldn’t wait for Mariela to get there because I knew that her energy was exactly what I needed to change my mood and that’s exactly what she did! It was like I couldn’t wait to hang out with my friend on my wedding day and that’s what every couple needs on their wedding day! She is honestly the best and I wouldn’t book anyone else for any future events. ~ TOM + MARIELA ~
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Let her do her magic and she will not disappoint! We came across Mariela by a venues pop up display event. She did a promo engagement shoot, for us to see her work ( for free). My fiancé and I had done engagement photos a few weeks prior to meeting Mariela, we didn’t need the photos but it was free. We had fun during the shoot, and didn’t really think much about it. When we got the photos, we loved every single one. In all honestly we liked these so much more than our original photos. Every photo was carefully edited and we looked so naturally posed. Without thinking twice, we hired Mariela to capture our wedding day. The day of the wedding, Mariela was so professional yet so personable. She felt like a friend. My husband is usually shy during photos,Mariela had him and I laughing and just having a great time. The one thing that stood out during the whole day, was how organized she was. She had an outline printed, to make sure every single photo we asked for was not missed. When family asked to take a photo a specific way, with specific people she always went back to the outline politely. Mariela is super talented, she captures couples with so many styles. I however was looking for a particular style. Mariela had all our photos edited and sent to us within 3 weeks. She nailed every single photo with the style I was looking for. We loved all the photos. Every photo showed so much emotions. Every photo everyone was so natural looking. My husband and I loved Mariela’s energy and work. We are so happy we hired her. ~ JACQUELINE + SAUL ~
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Mariela is so talented, kind, and fun to work with. We had a wonderful experience and absolutely love all of the wedding photos! Thank you. We love them all! ~ JACKELINE + ALAN ~
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![Michelle + Cory]()
Hands done the best! I wish I could find all the words to truly encompass how amazing, Mariela, was on my wedding day. Weddings can be stressful the day of especially for the bride. You always want to make sure your moment is captured beautifully just as you would imagine. Mariela did just that and so much more! She has the sweetest, loving, fun spirit that puts you at ease. My husband and I had so much fun taking our pictures. She captured our day so wonderfully with portraits as well as action shots. Isn't that what it about!? Having fun and enjoying your wedding day! I even had guests at my wedding saying how wonderful she was. I would highly recommend Mariela for all your photography needs! I'll definitely be hiring her again if I ever need a photographer in the future. Thank you again, Mariela! Love, MICHELLE & CORY PEEVYHOUSE
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