Kaitlyn and Alex: One of my most anticipated weddings of the year, and one of the greatest experiences I’ve had as a wedding photographer. I met Kaitlyn and Alex over a year ago, when they made the trek out to a little AirBnb in Joshua Tree after responding to a model call. I still remember Kaitlyn’s response, “we are by no means models, but we are stupidly in love and would love to be considered.” I knew immediately that these two embodied something so much bigger than photos could embody, but heck if I wasn’t going to try my best to capture the magic between them. And it happened just like that, we had one of my favorite engagement sessions to date, stayed late to snack on chips and salsa, talked about love, and started the beginning of the journey to their wedding day.

I’ve learned a lot from my time with these two, but one of the most important things has been the value of community. Kaitlyn and Alex put incredible thought and detail into each and every aspect of their wedding. All of it was centered around creating an experience that not only was symbolic of their relationship, but of the life they want to share together. So here we were, a weekend away in the forest of Lake Tahoe at a secluded venue called The HideOut. So secluded, that there are literal signs encouraging you to “keep going” because you’re “almost there.” And man was it worth it, because I have never seen such a tranquil space. We spent the weekend at the lake among Kaitlyn and Alex’s friends and family, and got to experience this dream of theirs firsthand.

A word that keeps coming to mind when reflecting on their wedding day is energy. There was something so tangible in the air, something calm, peaceful, and loving, and it carried the whole day. Kaitlyn got ready among her closest gals (don’t even get me started on their bridesmaid’s dresses), Alex popped some champagne with his dudes in burgundy, and we had ourselves one hell of a party. They got married under a boho wooden arch in the woods, and danced, danced, danced. Did I say they danced? Grab a box of tissues and watch the feature film that was their first dance here captured by some of the most talented videographers I’ve ever seen.

I’ll shut up now and let you see their story the way I saw it.

Vendors

Venue: The Hideout

Videographer: Jay and Mack Films

Dress: Grace Loves Lace

Jewelry: Opal Milk

Ring: Heidi Gibson

Planner: Graceful Eventing

Program: Kayla Phanxx

Invitation: Aardvark Letter Press

DJ: Logan Steele