Megan and Gray’s Wedding Day in the California Redwoods

Weddings

Jul 22

For their wedding day, Megan and Gray gathered their family and friends at Sparrow Valley Retreat, a little cabin nestled underneath the California redwoods. True to their name, this venue was a real retreat; that morning, I walked in to see people reading on the porch, sipping beers on the lawn, and cozied up together in the cabin — that’s the perfect way to spend a wedding morning, I think.

As the afternoon came around, Gray finished getting ready in the trailer outside while Megan got dressed surrounded by her best friends. They met for their first look under the trees, where Megan got to show off her (unreal!) cape sleeves before they went off to spend some extra time with their wedding party.

When the ceremony began, guests cried as they watched Megan walk down the aisle, which quickly turned into laughter when she stopped mid-way to snap a quick film photo of her groom (as a fellow wedding photographer, I will be stealing this idea). They got married surrounded by the redwoods and their favorite people, and I’m certain the entire town of Aptos could hear everyone’s laughter while they shared their vows (they were really good).

After the ceremony, guests were gathered on the lawn where everyone sat for dinner and were treated to live music from their friend Madi Sipes. This was followed by heartfelt speeches and happy tears, and the evening ended with a giant dance party on the patio.

Megan and Gray’s day was the perfect example that the intimacy of your wedding day isn’t based off of the number of people you have, but is represented by the relationship you have with the people you invite. It’s so clear how deeply loved these two are by their people, and I really loved getting to capture all of those special relationships on the biggest day of their lives.

Here are some of my favorites from their day.