When A + T started looking at venues, they knew they wanted to get married in the redwoods. It was more than just a beautiful backdrop that reflected their love of the outdoors and hiking in the redwoods, it was a way to honor A's grandfather whose birthday was on the same day as their wedding. A remembered looking at her grandparents' wedding photos, and living through them as a way to celebrate their lives and the love story they shared. So when they found Deer Park Villa, it became the perfect place to celebrate their own love story amongst the redwoods.

One of the most memorable moments was getting to watch A surprise her soon-to-be-husband with a song - he had not known that she had been diligently practicing the song "I Lava You" on the ukelele to play for him before their first look. They shared an intimate moment saying their vows to each other before the ceremony, saving the words that meant the most to them for just the two of them before their guests arrived. Check out the rest of A + T's Deer Park Villa wedding below!

Like many other couples last year, M + R tied the knot over Zoom in the comfort of their apartment in the city, with their postponed wedding planned for May 2021. The day finally came, and with an intimate group of family and friends, they said their vows to each other under the trees of Stern Grove and planted a fiddle-leaf fig together as a tribute to their houseplant collection that had flourished just as they had grown together. It was a day so full of love and joy - every hug, every toast, and every handmade touch they had put into their day was worth the wait. The temporary tattoo bar was all the rage, the groomsmen were shook with awe when they opened up their gifts of custom made bobble heads, and the bubble guns became the new favorite photo prop. We ended the day watching the sunset over the coast, chasing the waves and taking in the beauty of the city that had held so many memories for them. Check out the rest of their San Francisco Stern Grove wedding below!

She might not have remembered the first time they met at school in Arizona, but they quickly became best friends and came back to her home in California to settle down. A pandemic proposal led to planning a sweet, intimate ceremony with a small group of 20 people, the rolling hills of the East Bay at Reinstein Ranch as the backdrop to their day. The best part was that they got to just slow down and take in each and every moment - no rush, no fast paced schedule to follow, but rather just a day spent with loved ones and with each other. Check out the rest of E + D's intimate wedding below!

Most couples are terrified at the thought of rain on their wedding day, but not these two. M + T loved every second of it - the moody fog that set into the redwoods, the pitter patter on the tent as they shared memories with an intimate group of loved ones, even the rain soaked dress that gathered bits and pieces of the forest with her as she walked. It was a day full of joyful tears mixed with rain, and nothing could dampen their spirits of how important this day was and what it meant to them. The sun even came out for them the next day for a session on the coast, where we ran into the ocean waves, got our feet soaked, and watched the sunset. Check out the rest of M + T's Santa Cruz redwood wedding!

J + Z knew they wanted an intimate group of family with them on their wedding day, so they rented  an Airbnb with multiple rooms to spend the weekend with their family. It was a beautiful setting out in Carmel Valley - a barn decorated with a circle of flowers served as their ceremony site, and the wildflowers were blooming all over the hills. And of course they had to include their pup Winston, who stole all the attention and even made an appearance on their custom cake topper! Though they thought they wouldn't cry on their wedding day, the moment hit them when they said their vows, and the joy they felt when they finally got to call each other husband and wife was so incredibly beautiful. After toasting to their families, they continued onto the coast of Big Sur to spend some time with just the two of them. Check out the rest of J + Z's Carmel Valley and Big Sur elopement!

When A + R first started planning an intimate wedding with just immediate family, they envisioned eloping in the Big Sur redwoods. Together we went over different venue options, and they booked the beautiful Bridge House at Glen Oaks Big Sur. But as all things go in COVID times, they were forced to change their plans when Glen Oaks Big Sur couldn't accommodate groups until later that year. So we went back to the drawing board, and I helped them look through alternative options.

We finally pivoted plans to Sparrow Valley Retreat, a cabin Airbnb deep in the Santa Cruz mountains. It became the perfect setting for their wedding, allowing them to have their own private space for everything from getting ready to reception. With a handmade deck amongst the redwoods, they shared their vows in a place that felt just right and couldn't stop laughing throughout their day. The cherry on top was two wandering cats on the property, who came to say hello to them after their first look and might've knocked over a sign or two. Check out the rest of their Sparrow Valley Retreat wedding below!

I had known C - the bride - through Awakening Church back when we attended, and so it was such a sweet message to get to hear from these two when they announced that they were engaged! They knew that they were ready to be married and start their lives together, so they chose to celebrate with just an intimate group of family and friends at Gamble Gardens. This garden and historic house was built in the 1900s, and generously gifted to the City of Palo Alto for public enjoyment. A well-known treasure in the town, it served as the perfect background for these two to share their vows with one another. Their wedding was made possible with help from their loved ones, from their mom carefully arranging the pampas grass ceremony decor, to the maid-of-honor crafting their signage. Though their group was small, it was full of love and joy. Check out the rest of their Gamble Garden wedding below! 

A reconnection over the Great Chicago Polar Vortex, a custom board game proposal, and a fairytale wedding planned during the pandemic later, these two are MARRIED! One of the things I loved about capturing these two was just the way they were so in sync with each other, the way they busted out dance moves when there was no music, melted in each others' arms, and just enjoyed being with each other. Their wedding was a day spent celebrating the things that made their love story so special, with intentional touches like how she had practiced a verse to read to him during their ceremony - not in English but in his native German language - or how they couldn't stop smiling when they got to see their see family and friends from all around the world over Zoom, in each of their different breakout rooms, who woke up early or stayed up late to witness these two say I do. Check out the rest of their Nestldown wedding!