Taylor & Casey

Taylor and Casey are no strangers to crazy weather. During our engagement shoot, it was bitterly cold and the wind was howling. During their wedding day, it was raining on and off. We thought the storm had passed, but then a downpour started right in the middle of the ceremony! Luckily there was some cover that guests could hide under, but Taylor and Casey stood serenely together at the alter under an umbrella just looking into each other’s eyes. They stayed up there through the rest of the ceremony and the downpour. Besides the rain, my favorite part of the ceremony was when they each took a jar of dirt that they collected from their parent’s homes and added the dirt to a potted sapling that they will now plant in their own home. 

So many great vendors came together to make this such a beautiful wedding. the dessert table in particular looked like something out of a magazine. And I can always count on Barrel 9 Media to create a an amazing lighting set up for cool night photos!

Venue: Red Hawk Golf Course  Florals: Love & Lupines  Videography: Barrel 9 Media

Makeup: Midtown Beauty Bar DJ: McClain's Mobile DJ  Cake: Delicious Designs

Chelsea & Thomas

I love when couples come from other places to have their weddings here in the mountains. I took Chelsea and Thomas' engagement photos in the mountains too and their love of nature was so apparent and inspiring. It turned out to be a gorgeous day up at Squaw Valley for the wedding, if not a little cold in the evening!  Everything was so simple and elegant. The colors were simply white with some greenery and woody accents and lots of candles. It all came together so nicely. Thomas and Chelsea share such a genuine and pure love, which was made very evident by what everyone said in their toasts to the newlyweds. But what made it even more evident was during the ceremony when Thomas said in his vows to Chelsea, "I will love you until the end of time. And I will always remember this day and marrying you as the proudest moment of my life." 

Venue: PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn  Wedding Planner: Liane McCombs  Florist: Aster & Ash 

DJ: Moonlight Mobile DJ  Video: Swannworks Films  Dress: JLM Couture  Makeup: J. Weisman Beauty

Jennifer & Minh

Jenn and Minh's wedding was so cool and different for me! In the morning, they had a Chinese tea ceremony. It was such a fun event with tons of family members gathered together in a home with decorations, candles and food. Minh and the groomsmen had to play games at the front door and bribe the bridesmaids in order to get inside the house. Minh and Jenn presented their elders with tea, and the elders presented them in gifts in turn. 

After a location and outfit change, Jenn and Minh had a traditional western wedding and the day could not have been more lovely! My favorite part of was when Minh started to cry when he saw how beautiful Jenn was in her wedding dress. 

Minh said in his vows, "We've been together longer than we haven't" because they have been together since high school! But you never would have guessed that these two have been together that long because the way they are with each other, they seem like they're still just two young kids head-over-heels in love. 

Christy & Jerimiah

I had so much fun taking Christy and Jerimiah's engagement photos because they are both so adventurous and lovers of the snow! Their wedding photos were no different. We trekked out to a meadow in Squaw Valley (Christy in her heels!) and got some really cool shots with the whole wedding party and parents. Christy and the bridesmaids wore fur shawls and all the guests were treated to a hot chocolate bar and blankets on their seats at the ceremony. The interior of PlumpJack was decorated so diligently by Christy, Jerimiah and their friends and family. They had tons of candles, snow flakes and wooden ski accents, ski resort themed tables and tons of manzanita branches decorated with twinkle lights. I couldn't imagine a better wedding or a better couple to round out my 2017 wedding year! 

Katie & Nick

I have been looking forward to Katie and Nick's wedding since they first contacted me. Katie and Nick love the outdoors, the mountains and national parks, so they decided to elope in Yosemite National Park! Accompanied by their parents, best friends and Katie's daughter, they choose a prefect spot right along the river to exchange vows. It was an absolutely beautiful day and even though it was an elopement, so much thought was put into all the little details from the handmade bouquets, to the vows, to gifts that Katie and Nick exchanged. They all wore hiking boots and they were ready for anything when we set out to take photos and video! They walked on logs, climbed on rocks and they even got into the river for our last shots! Such adventurous couples make my job more fun and I know they have many more adventures ahead of them! 

Debbie & Adam

Debbie and Adam's wedding was such an unexpected surprise! Never did I think I'd get the chance to photograph a wedding in Texas, and never did I think I'd meet that bride at another wedding in Costa Rica! I was so happy to be able to travel to Texas and witness Debbie and Adam's wedding. Not only because it was different and exciting for me, but also because it's truly inspirational to witness the marriage of two people who are obviously very deeply in love. The venue was a beautiful old dance hall in Fischer, Texas and so many family and friends pitched in to put Debbie and Adam's personal touches on the hall. My favorite parts were during the reception when Adam surprised Debbie with a tap dance he had learned, and Debbie surprised Adam with a song she sung while her father played the guitar! 

Katie & Andrew

At Katie and Andrew's winter engagement photo session, we turned out some amazing images so I was really looking forward to what we were going to create with their wedding photos! It was a perfect fall day at Lake Tahoe and the fall colors, still water and beautiful sunset gave us so much to work with. Everything at the West Shore Cafe looked so elegant, from the looks of it you might not know what a goofy and fun couple Katie and Andrew actually are. They played a quick game of corn hole during our photo session!  They are also incredibly sweet people and the toasts and dances had people in tears. It was such a perfect day from start to finish! 

Mary Kate & Thomas

Thomas and Mary Kate's wedding was such a beautiful fall day. Even though many of the leaves had already fallen from the trees, the bountiful bouquets of flowers and a gorgeous manzanita and flower arch brought so much life and color to the venue.  Mary Kate and Thomas were so happy to see each other at their first look, and for the rest of the day they could barely stop smiling at each other!  After the ceremony we were able to get a photo of all the guests at the wedding (something that is really cool if you can make it work!) as well as some really fun dancing photos because everyone at this wedding was dancing, even the grandparents! And instead of having a ring bearer, Mary Kate and Thomas had their nephew be the adorable official cigar cutter! 

Ashley & Thomas

When I arrived at Ashley and Thomas' wedding, the first thing I saw was the reception area with all the decorations set up. I was so excited when I saw that their decoration theme was Wes Anderson movies! It was so unique, so fun and they put so much effort into getting all the little details in there. They had a beautiful, custom made fall/Fantastic Mr. Fox themed cake and flowers to tie everything together. Both Thomas and Ashley were so calm and relaxed throughout the day; you could tell that they were just so happy to be getting married. They go married under a birchwood arch that Thomas made and during the toasts at the reception, it couldn't be said enough how Thomas and Ashley are such kind and beautiful people. 

Alyssa & Eric

Alyssa and Eric's was so beautiful, fun and unique. The Grove looked stunning with handmade centerpieces, flowers and drapes, a chandelier and tons of glitz and glam! Everything looked so elegant and romantic that at first glance you might not realize that Alyssa and Eric are actually such easy going, fun loving, goofy people. That's why their wedding was so amazing. It's was one of the most beautiful set ups I've seen, but I got the feeling that Eric and Alyssa and their family and friends could have been anywhere and still had as much fun as they all did. Eric and Alyssa and all the bridesmaids and groomsmen did a dance as they walked out of the ceremony, Eric read his vows off of a long scroll and Alyssa and her father played inflatable guitars to Guns N' Roses for their father daughter dance. During the reception, the DJ told the story of how Alyssa and Eric met and got to know each other, then he played prerecorded messages in which they each talked about why they love the other. The whole evening was a perfect mix of romance and fun. 

Jessica & Kevin

Jessica and Kevin's destination wedding was incredible, but what's more incredible is what they had to go through to get to that day. A tropical storm in Cabo threw off the flight plans of so many guests while Jessica and Kevin and several other guests had to hunker down in the resort and wait out the storm. It could have been a disaster (or Dyess-aster as they called it), but the storm cleared up in a couple days and everyone was able to make it down to Cabo in time for the wedding. Everyone was treated to perfect weather on wedding day, there was a game of beach volleyball before everyone got ready for the sunset ceremony. Kevin and Jessica exchanged vows that made pretty much everyone cry, but I think my favorite part was watching them dance together. They are such goofy, fun-loving people who have been together for so long and are still very much in love, and I think they showed all that off in the coordinated first dance and the awesome party that followed. The consensus at the end of the weekend was that if Kevin and Jessica could weather Tropical Storm Lidia, they can weather anything that comes their way!   

Nancy & Zack

Nancy and Zack's wedding was incredible! I've known Nancy since middle school, so it was so crazy to see her get married! With Nancy being the youngest of three sisters, I think all her family members also felt that is was crazy to see her get married.  It was a day filled with happy tears from pretty much everyone involved, but especially from Nancy and Zack.  Through their intimate first look, the words in their vows, and the way they were so happy to be near each other whether is was on the dance floor or posing for pictures, it was very obvious that this was the happiest day of their lives and they really are the loves of each others lives. I don't think we could have asked for a more beautiful day, a more colorful sunset, or a more fun dance party provided by the live wedding band, The Junebugs! 

Sandra & Trevor

I was so excited when Trevor and Sandra asked me to photograph their wedding in San Diego! We took some really cool engagement photos in the snow this past winter (like IN a snow storm!) so it was a nice contrast to take their wedding photos next to the ocean. They did so much coordinating with all the details and making sure all the out of towners  got to where they needed to be. My favorite parts were Trevor's face when he first saw Sandra, their dog Thor as the ring bearer, and the traditional Mexican dance, La Vibora de la Mar, where all the men joined hands and ran around the reception hall, ducked under a "bridge" of Sandra's veil held up by her and Trevor, then ended the dance by tossing Trevor into the air! Sandra and Trevor are so different in height, but their personalities compliment each other so well and it was so great to see the beginning of their lives together. 

Nikki & Alex

Nikki and Alex pulled off their wedding with just a few months of planning and it was beautiful! The wedding was held at Alex's parents' home on Shasta Lake and family and friends came together to transform the yard into the perfect wedding site complete with an arbor overlooking the lake, yard games, market lights and a hand made bar and hand made cocktail tables. My favorite little detail was the cake topper on the wedding cake. It was a custom made clay figurine of Nikki and Alex with Nikki in a speedboat and Alex waterskiing. It was perfect for them since it was the waterskiing club at UNR that first brought them together. Nikki is one of the friendliest people I have ever met so it's no surprise that she was the one to, as Alex's parents put it, bring a quite guy like Alex out of his shell. These two are so adventurous and they really know how to maximize the free time get have in Alex's busy med school schedule. I think that's why they were able to pull off this wedding so flawlessly!

Sally & April

I am so glad I was able to photograph Sally and April's wedding. Not only was it in an incredibly beautiful place, and not only were they super into nature and national parks like me, but they really knew what they wanted from their wedding. They focused on the meaningful and fun aspects of the wedding rather than worry about insignificant details that end up driving some couples crazy.  They were willing to walk around in the dirt with me to take photos which always makes me happy and got us some really cool and unique shots. April and Sally planned this wedding from their home across the country and then moved to the other side of the country and dealt with a bunch of other things in the weeks leading up to the wedding. But it didn't dampen their spirits on their wedding day.  That's probably a good indication that they found the right person; someone who doesn't just stand by you on the best day ever, but someone who will stand beside you no matter what happens. 

Shelby & Charles

Shelby had told me a little bit about the things she had planned for her wedding, but I had not expected how incredible everything looked once it came together! When I got to the Tannenbaum, there were a bunch of family and friends busy setting things up and getting all the details in place. There were hand made signs, lanterns, flowers and rose petals everywhere.  There were three dessert tables topped with a cake, cupcakes and mini apple and peach pies.  We had beautiful blue skies during the ceremony and colorful clouds and a rainbow at sunset. Shelby and Charles are high school sweethearts and they exchanged tearful vows during the ceremony, happy to finally be married after all these years together.  

Lisa & Elliott

Lisa and Elliott's was such a blast for me to photograph! Not only was the location amazing and the decorations beautiful, but I knew a lot of the wedding party and guests and it was so fun to capture their happiness. Lisa and Elliott have been together for 10 years and, as many people mentioned in their toasts, their wedding day has been a long time coming and everyone was happy to be finally be celebrating their marriage. The toasts were actually my favorite part of this day. Lisa and Elliott had so many long-time friends attend their wedding, several of whom gave toasts. It was a real testament to Elliott and Lisa as people and as friends to hear everyone sharing stories from their years of friendship, even the story of when Elliott and Lisa first started dating. 

Location: Granlibakken Lake Tahoe    Planning: Liane McCombs   Flowers: Petal to the Metal

Hair & Makeup: La Di Da Beauty    DJ: Last Resort DJs   Photobooth: Pic Box  

Videography: Tony Castaneda Films

Karen & Kevin

I've been looking forward to Karen and Kevin's wedding since I first talked to Karen on the phone. Karen and Kevin planned a wedding in Janesville, California all the way from their home in Hawaii. I could tell Karen had such a special vision for their wedding and so many family and friends in Janesville came together to make that vision a reality. They helped with hair, makeup, flowers, decorations, set up, everything! The wedding was held at Karen's parents' house. Leading up to the wedding Karen's dad carefully tended to a beautiful garden full of flowers. They had all the children at the wedding line the aisle and blow bubbles as Karen and her dad walked down to the alter and then again as Karen and Kevin walked back up. But my favorite part of this wedding was when Karen did the father-daughter dance wither her dad. As the song started to play and they started to dance, a recording of Karen's voice came on over the song and she was talking about her dad and how happy he makes her and how grateful she is for him. 

Amanda & Stephen

I've known Mandy since elementary school so it was crazy to see her get married! She and Stephen fit so well together, they were constantly making each other smile the whole party. Between Mandy's family and friends and Stephens family (who I met last year when I photographed his brother's wedding) I got to photograph so many familiar faces which always makes my job more fun. My favorite part was that Mandy actually choreographed a dance for her and Stephen to do for their first dance! I always knew Mandy was a good dancer, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that Stephen too is a great dancer! I assume most of it is natural talent, and a little bit of Mandy's teaching ;)  

Location: Red Hawk Golf and Resort  Flowers: Sparks FloristHair: Jane Mariluch, Studio Bloom

Makeup: Elise Brodsky, Smoke & Blush Dress: Swoon BridalDJ: Do Well Events

Kristen & TJ

Kristen and TJ's wedding is the first I have been able to photograph at the Nevada Museum of Art and it was amazing! Their decorations made the Sky Room look like a rooftop garden party. The views were amazing and we were treated with a gorgeous sunset. Every part of this building, from the walls outside, to the stairs, to the sculptures were all so picture perfect.  My favorite part was after the ceremony, we got to go into the galleries to take some photos. It was so sophisticated and unique. I've known Kristen for a long time and it was so cool to see her get married, especially because it was to a guy as sweet and kind as TJ. 

Location: Nevada Museum of Art   Flowers: Asher & Ash Floral Design   DJ: Moonlight Mobile DJ

Hair: Linda Wright     Makeup: Sarah Tate-Crowder   Dress: Alfred Angelo