Outdoor Summer Garden Wedding
Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens
Northern California, y’all. I mean really northern, not Bay Area-NorCal. Shasta is what dreams are made of, with the happiest and most hopeful of vibes, like that summer handshake scene in The Parent Trap.
When you pull into the venue, you’ll come around the corner and see a playground on one side and hear the Sacramento River on the other, and if you look up just a bit, you see an open patch of green surrounded by tall trees – the perfect little haven for a July ceremony and reception.
I’ve known M since high school and D for a few years now. They are truly the kind of people that pay attention to others around them, making them feel noticed and seen, and this really came through for their wedding weekend.
Back in April, I asked about their wedding plans, and I wrote down something that D said that I keep coming back to: We just want people to be happy and have fun. That’s truly how it felt with them. Even months after their day, when I recently made a quick trip to LA and stayed with them, they looked back on their people and the memories. Joy and people.
And what I really loved about this wedding were the ways that people really showed up for them, too. For me, that is part of the magic in celebrations like this, and that’s what I hope shows in these photographs.
D’s maid of honor taking special care with her bridal makeup. M’s mom passing down the veil from her own wedding. D’s mom gifting her a locket with childhood pictures and the purest emotions when D later surprised her with a mother-daughter dance. The groomsmen playing one last round of pool before the couple’s first look.
PS: Before the wedding, I asked D what photos were the most important to them. She hoped I could capture the energy from the reception, and y’all, that reception did not disappoint.
Amazing vendors:
Venue: Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens,
4841 Dunsmuir Ave, Dunsmuir, CA 96025
Videographer: Matt Hoge
Dress: Chic Bohemian Bride
Florist: Mt. Shasta Florist
Hair: Sacred Mountain Spa
Makeup: Rose Inclan
Catering: C&C Catering
Cake: Johnnie Cakes
DJ: Net Sound Pro
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