Here’s an amazing example of when a one night stand actually works.
Everyone meet Heather & Caleb.
These two met 5 years ago at a party and honestly, the rest is just a perfect story of how two people were in the right place and at the right time.
When I asked Caleb about their relationship, he told me from day 1 they have always been open and honest about everything (other than the span of months where Heather pretended to know what Banjo Kazooie was, which was Caleb’s favorite video game).. But aside from that, it’s just been constant honesty, compromising, and figuring life out together.
Fast forward to this past month where I had the honor of being flown out to Mammoth Lakes, California to document these two getting married. When I asked them about the significance of this area, they told me the eastern Sierra’s hold a special place for them. Heather’s family lives along the west coast, so she’s grown up exploring these mountains and Caleb was the first significant other of Heather’s to come with her and her family to hike around.
So when it came to where they wanted their intimate ceremony to be, they knew that the Mosquito Flats would have everything they wanted out of the mountains- the peaks, greenery, forests, varying colors, and just natural beauty. Basically, an actual Bob Ross painting.
Photographing their elopement was so special. Grabbing dinner the night before with them, learning their history, waking up early the next day and us all hiking together, helping them get dressed in the mountains, setting up their ceremony, hearing their vows being exchanged in the quietness of the mountains, etc. These are the types of moments and experiences that you want as a wedding photographer and generally why you strive to be a wedding photographer in the first place. Two people, so in love and that you also love, in a location so special… yeah. It’s just that bread and butter.
Like I said earlier, I’m honored that Caleb and Heather flew me out there to do this. Honored doesn’t really even amount to the word I need to match the feeling..but it’ll have to do. Also, thank you to my second shooter, Stephanie Nachtrab, for traveling out with me and helping me shoot!
I do have to add that my favorite part of their entire story though is when I asked Heather if there were any specific moments where she realized she wanted to marry Caleb, I gasped a little at her answer. I loved it so much. She told me, “There weren’t any specific moments in general. It’s just a build up of his unending and unyielding acceptance of who I am.”
