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!

Two years ago, M + C met at CSU Monterey Bay and knew quickly that they had found the love of a lifetime. From a mountaintop proposal to a redwood wedding, these two couldn't have picked a more fitting place at the Felton Guild cathedral to say their vows to one another in front of their family and friends. There were so many tears, from the bride's first look with her father to their own first look, and special touches like passing on a coin that had been in the groom's family for generations. Congratulations M + C!! Check out the rest of their Santa Cruz redwood wedding below!

What better way to celebrate New Year's Eve than with tying the knot at SF City Hall? C + E held an intimate wedding ceremony at the beautiful, iconic San Francisco wedding and celebrated with their closest family and friends at Wayfare Tavern in the city. They counted down together to start 2020 as Mr. and Mrs. and then jetted off to Cancun for their honeymoon. Congratulations C + E!!

I knew that we had crafted the perfect wedding day when they said, "Yes. This is us!" J + J created a day that wholly and genuinely represented their love story. Their wedding day started with a tearful first look with her dad and there was not a dry eye at their SF City Hall wedding ceremony when their closest family and friends blessed them with words of love. When I had asked these two what they loved most about each other, they had told me that they just loved cuddling at home together. So after the ceremony we returned back to their place, and then adventured out to the woods for their bride and groom portraits with just the two of them. These were the moments and memories that meant the most to them - making smoothies in their PJs in their home, adventuring and laughing together surrounded by the tall trees, and celebrating with their family and friends at their epic wedding reception that opened with an incredible Arabian drummer entrance. The entire room was filled with so much excitement and joy for these two - it was an energy that couldn't be contained. What an incredible wedding day - congratulations J + J!

​The moment you met Isabel or Evan, you knew that you didn't just make a new amazing best friend, you just joined an incredible group of friends who could only be described as family. Whether from childhood, their college days at UC Santa Cruz, or adulthood, these two had a way of bringing people together on their beautiful journey. They were both in tears as they vowed to be by each other's side in the most poetic way, planted a tree together to symbolize their union, and laughed all night to all the incredible toasts that only brought more tears of joy. Plus, you can't go wrong ending the night with churros, donuts, and all the dance moves. Congratulations E + I!

L + A got married at the beautiful industrial venue of The Old Sugar Mill in Sacramento, California. This venue was the perfect backdrop to their wedding, from their first look in the brick building lit by sunlight streaming through the windows, to celebrating with their friends and family under the string lights of the reception room. Before the ceremony, they took some time alone to read letters to each other. Little did she know, he had a jar full of notes he had written for her - one for each day as they got closer and closer to their wedding day. She had always joked about him not texting her during the day, but instead he had spent that time writing down all the little things he loved about her, folding each note into an origami heart. To think they almost skipped reading their letters in the rush of the day - this moment became one of their favorites (and one of mine!) Congratulations L + A!

​What more can I say than what a dream these two were. Having photographed 3 other weddings at this gorgeous venue, I couldn't be more excited to be back - especially when my very first bride made the macrame bouquet holders for these two! J + C said their vows to each other nestled in the Santa Cruz redwoods at Slowcoast Laughing Canyon and danced the night away under the twinkle lights. Their wedding was absolutely dreamy, with intricate macrame creations, greenery tablescapes, and rust orange details. The bridesmaids danced in their velvet orange dresses and the groomsmen toasted with their ox horn mugs.  But all these details only added to the beauty of their love that shined through the little ways, like how she gave him moon cufflinks knowing he would forget his cufflinks, how he was just awestruck when he saw her down the aisle, and how he would just spin her around during the first dance with so much joy that they were now husband + wife. What a night to remember!