Mammoth Lakes Intimate Wedding
WHERE do I even start with this beautiful 20 person intimate mountain lake wedding day? Do I start where Jake and Kelly met in college at a dance party and instantly fell for each other? Or do I start when they moved to Bend and created a life together and decided to get married? Or do I start at their vows, which were poetry and made everyone cry? It all was intentional and purposeful. I’m honored to not only be their photographer but also their friend.
Kelly has a superpower of love and kindness. You will not meet a more in touch, grateful, inspiring human on this planet. She pulls you into her grace and bliss of life. You are enamored by her awe and wonder of this life.
Jake is so vastly compassionate and intentional you will feel like the only person in the room when you are talking. He can hold the longest eye contact, so don’t you try to win at a staring contest! He is intelligent, open hearted, and warm.
They wanted a small wedding up in the mountains. Each decision made from the food to the air b+b, to the flowers, and arbor at their ceremony was picked with intention. They loved every process of planning this wedding because they were SO EXCITED to get married. After 7 years of dating and engagement, it was time to invite people into their deep love. They decided on Convict Lake in Mammoth Lakes after a family trip a year earlier. They knew this would be the spot they would become one. It was truly breathtaking.
Jake started reciting this vows with a poem he wrote her the first year they were dating. As soon as he started speaking she started mouthing the words because she had memorized it after all these years of him repeating it to her. Kelly’s vows were heart wrenching, explaining how much love she has for him and how alive she feels in his presence. I stood there with the wind blowing my hair all around, camera in hand, soaking it all in. The mountains stood tall behind them and I cried a bit.
I realized this is why I love photographing weddings. Not because the beautiful details or the likes on instagram, but because I get to be apart of this deep love that is helping to heal the world. Jake and Kelly, by being open for all to drink deeply of possibility of beautiful love, are truly helping to heal the broken world. It’s all apart of being human and I cannot imagine not photographing weddings for this reason alone.
Immediately after they kissed, Jake and Kelly danced down the aisle while their friends jumped up and started dancing with them. Many hugs and tears were given throughout family photos. As the sun started to set, the three of us romped around the lake enjoying the majesty of the nature together. We came back to the Air B+B to a long table set up on the deck filled with lace, flowers, and a dinner setting. It was a relaxing reception where we laughed and ate good food. The night ended with hours and hours of dancing all together. Goofy playful dancing.
