Is it weird that a wedding can bring me back to MY childhood? If it is… I’m ok with it… because this wedding gave me all the feels for a million reasons. I’ll just share a few of them though, so I don’t bore you to death.

For starters – Shannon & Lee could not be a more wonderful couple in every way possible. Their personalities, their smiles, Shannon’s infectious laugh, Lee’s dedication to making her happy, their completely obvious devotion to each other, their appreciation for expertise, and their kindness are just a few of the things that make them so unforgettable when you experience them in all their glory. As their photographer, I got to experience this several times – but honestly fell in love with Shannon based on her very first email to me. She found me on Instagram, which led her to my blog where she said she felt my personality came through and she wanted to reach out. I could not ask for a better chain of events to lead a client to me! Shannon’s personality came through in her emails, and I knew we were a wedding photographer & client match made in heaven.

Their engagement session was a dream! If you follow my blog, you may recall the couple I posted with the kick ass classic VW truck and their adorable Labrador. We had a BLAST at their session, laughing, playing with the dog, and getting awesome photos of the truck that has been in Lee’s family for many years that he keeps in absolute mint condition. At their engagement preview session we had some more fun chatting and reliving their engagement session, I met Lee’s very sweet parents, and we talked about their wedding plans.

Finally their big day was here. February 24th at Rancho Las Lomas. It was my last wedding before starting maternity leave – and I couldn’t have asked for a better wedding, a better couple, or a better team to work with for my last event. Blissfully Styled Events coordinated this wedding to perfection and the floral by Leelina Martin was truly unforgettable. She used kumquats in the arrangements!!! I haven’t seen, or tasted a kumquat in years but it instantly transported me back to being 10 years old and moving into a new house where I very first experienced this funny little fruit. For those of you who don’t know, they look like tiny little oval shaped oranges and you can eat the entire thing, peel and all. The fruit itself is very tart, but the peel is very sweet, and they are oh so juicy. I LOVED them as a kid, and got super giddy when I saw them all over this event.

Karen at Blissfully Styled also told me that they would be incorporating 1,000 paper cranes all folded by Lee to honor Shannon’s Japanese heritage. This had me head over heels too! The first novel I ever read as a kid that actually made me cry was called Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. It was the first time I ever heard of such a thing and paper cranes have warmed my heart ever since. In Japanese culture if you fold 1,000 of them it will bring you luck. So as you will see, there are beautifully crafted and color coordinated cranes all over the ceremony, with one more in Shannon’s bouquet making 1,001 in total.

If I wasn’t already a total nerd for weddings and love… you can see that this one just put me over the top with warmth, joy and immense happiness for the union I not only got to witness, but to capture and the story I was fortunate enough to tell with my images. Take a look:

As this was my last wedding before maternity leave, this will also be my last blog before maternity leave! Although I’m not shooting again until the end of June, I have still been working at home and will probably be back to the office before my next wedding… but I’m not holding myself to anything until the end of June other than bonding with my baby and enjoying my family time. See you all soon my friends!

* * I am still taking 2019 bookings, so if you or anyone you know is interested in booking wedding photography please visit http://www.briannacaster.com and send me a message! My emails will be answered by my staff while I am on maternity leave. If you’re not already following me on Instagram – please do so @briannacaster. * *

Vendors from this beautiful event included:

Venu: Rancho Las Lomas

Planning: Blissfully Styled Events

Videography: Perfect Union Films

Floral: Leelina Martin

Rentals: Archive Rentals & Signature Party Rentals

Catering: 24 Carrots

Deserts: Great Dane Baking Co.

Signage: Letters From Home Art

Beauty: Beauty Crave by Jenn Mau

Entertainment: Elevated Pulse

Photo booth: Pixster Photo Booth