Hailey + Alex // Santa Rosa Airbnb Wedding

You know you're getting old when some of the client inquiries that show up in your inbox are from kids that you used to babysit, and now they are full blown ENGAGED adults, asking if you will be their wedding photographer. This was absolutely the case with this outrageously stunning microwedding I recently shot for Hailey and Alex, and I may or may not have seen Hailey since she was an actual child who was begging to stay up past her bedtime.

Nothing could have prepared me for how beautiful this day was. Hailey had previously sent me the address to this airbnb they were getting married at, and while the pictures were stunning, seeing it in person was an entirely different experience. It was dream home status. And in so many ways, it felt like my dream venue to shoot a wedding in. I walked in that house, and truly felt like I knew exactly what story I wanted to tell, and got straight to work on capturing such a gorgeous, unforgettable wedding day.

Not only did I get a "unicorn venue" opportunity on this day, but I also had the BEST, "do your thing, we trust you!" kind of clients on this day. Hailey and Alex were so warm and inviting, and they were completely comfortable with taking direction and they really just let me geek out in that house and with that light, and with all the shadows and textures we found along the way. They booked me for two hours on this day, and I feel like we made some real 'team magic', and in record time.

With things opening back up and full weddings starting to resume, I sure hope these microweddings stick. I have come to love these intimate gatherings and the stress-free vibes that follow, and the timeline feels so organic on these days. Cheers to these two for creating a dream wedding under some not-so-ideal conditions, and to Hailey for remembering that her vintage babysitter is a wedding photographer.

Emily + Ryan // Oakland Micro Wedding

Oh, weddings, how I've missed you so. I've been a wedding photographer for the last seven years, and while I've been madly in love with my job and the opportunities and people it has brought into my life since the very beginning, I never knew I would miss it THIS MUCH after just six months of not being able to do it. We are all more than our jobs, but for me, photography has always been my outlet, and a way for me to still tap into who I am as a creative, and let's be honest...a break from stay at home mom life.

While 99% of my weddings have been rescheduled for next year, a few clients have been interested in keeping their wedding date, but pivoting from "large gathering" to a small, intimate ceremony with just family and a few friends. I've been calling these "micro weddings", and Ryan and Emily were the first of my clients to plan one, and it definitely brought on all the feels. If this is what weddings will look like for the unforeseeable future, I. AM. HERE. FOR. IT.

You may remember Ryan and Emily from this forest engagement session. This was the first time I had met them in person, and they felt like old friends by the end of the session. On the day of their Oakland micro wedding, we laughed (cried?) about how much life has changed since we last saw each other, only six months prior, and then focused on the beautiful day they planned, with 13 of their closest supporters as witnesses. While everyone was wearing masks and remaining six feet apart, it held just as much meaning as any large wedding I've shot in the past, and for a moment in time, or rather, for a moment in the last six months, I temporarily forgot about the pandemic, and felt like my old self, doing what I love: documenting love.

Thank you to this couple for still figuring out a way to let me tell a REALLY INTERESTING part of your story that none of us will ever forget (and thank you for giving me a reason to wear an actual outfit for the third time in 2020).