A Halloween Wedding at Sacred Mountain near San Diego, California
Nat & Alex spent their morning hanging out with their friends in their respective houses on the property, watching football, slinging a few drinks, and passing some gifts around. Our favorite thing about these two getting ready was the fact that they didn’t want anything staged—of course we gave a little direction! But they didn’t want the fake photos of mom helping with the dress or the groom throwing on his jacket if it didn’t happen naturally. We love that approach to the day and really would love other couples to consider less staged moments, and more authenticity on their day.
The first look can be one of the best parts of the wedding day! One thing that these two did (that we always encourage our couples to do) is to write & read letters, or personal vows, to each other. So often anymore the idea of a first look is just another step in the wedding day process but that was never supposed to be the intention behind them. These first moments together are supposed to be slow, enjoyable moments where the two of you can connect before the craziness of the day unfolds. Nat and Alex did an amazing job of just living in their moments and allowing themselves to be truly present with each other.
Perhaps our favorite part of any wedding day are the small moments like these. The moments that have no choice but to unfold totally organically. All the real hugs, laughs, and moments that you couldn’t force if you tried. These little moments are what make up the very best wedding days. Not a single one of these photos were staged, we were just enjoying our time being flies on the wall here.
This windy ceremony contained so many moments that were 100% Nat and Alex. From Nat walking down the aisle and screaming ‘we’re finally getting married!”, Laker being the ring bearer, Alex’s long hair being combed down mid-ceremony, Nat’s veil flying off, Alex’s mom throwing a comb at him, and so much more. Not being afraid to be yourselves during your ceremony is what makes it interesting! Everyone has sat through a ceremony that seemed never ending before and it’s extremely boring, right? The solution to that is to make it as authentically you as possible. These two did just that and you could tell that everyone in the crowd loved it.
Equally as fun is capturing the moments right after the ceremony. It’s when all your loved ones get to congratulate you, hugs and kisses are given out, and you can finally take a deep breath because the ‘hard part’ is over. Nat & Alex’s crew brought all the emotions as we gathered in the gazebo waiting for the crowd to head to the reception. Just another fly on the wall experience for us that we have learned to master so well!
Sunset on the plateau was incredible. The sun was SO bright and gave a warm glow to everything. We loved that we made time for this section of couples portraits because it provided such a different feel than the portraits we grabbed earlier in the day. We always encourage our couples to have two separate times of day to dedicate to photos together because you often get two very different locations, different vibes, and different lighting which makes for a diverse gallery!
Nat and Alex decided to have their first dance after their last portrait session together before heading into dinner. They invited all their guests to join them on the floor part way through the song, and you can feel the joy of everyone there through these images. Every guest was so happy for them, and truly hyped them up the entire weekend. Those are the type of people you want with you on your wedding day!
Nothing is better than a dress change! And honestly, totally needed in our opinion. Emilee changed her wedding dress 6 years ago at our wedding before it was “cool” and she has told everyone to do it since. Being able to dance comfortably, not be super sweaty, and not having to worry about someone tripping on your dress is sooo worth the dress change. Plus, you’ll get two incredible looks for your day and who doesn’t want that?!
Because it was Halloween was just around the corner, there was only one way to end the evening—provide masks for everyone to wear of their favorite creepy characters and villains! We have to say, watching everyone dance around each other with those creepy masks on was equally hilarious and terrifying. This wedding was truly one for the books because of how Nat & Alex took charge and did things their way. Every detail and moment was so authentically them, we couldn’t have dreamed of anything better.