Married! Ben & Kara

In June, my husband and I went on a little trip to California for his best friend, Ben's, wedding. Ben and Kara were finally getting married - about 5 years together (maybe 6?) - and they wanted to make it especially memorable. Mike was the officiant, I the photographer. Weeks leading up to the trip people would ask me, "Where in California are you going?" And my response would be, "I'm not really sure.. it is somewhere up a mountain.. really high up the mountain." Well, we landed in Sacramento, drove 3 hours to Mount Shasta, and then we drove about 1 hour up the extremely narrow, extremely frightening mountain. It took us an hour because we had to go so slow. There were no guard rails. My brother-in-law drove the car and he almost peed his pants a few times. I had to close my eyes at some parts. But the scenery was gorgeous and an experience to remember.







After our frightening trip up the mountain (it really wasn't that scary - we were laughing most of the time over how crazy it was that there were no guard rails, me telling Mike, "We should have drawn up our will!"), we arrived at an all inclusive wedding village. It hosted the ceremony, reception, and lodging. It was quite inviting. Mike and I had our own cabin. Most everyone else had to share cabins with 6+ other people (hahaha). The first night we arrived, it was rehearsal and hang out time. The next morning was wedding day.







At night, on the top of the mountain, it was very cold. There was still snow on the ground. Everyone had to bundle up. I think one night I wore 3 layers of clothes, plus a hat, and also a blanket.



















Ben was very sensitive about having his photo taken before he was dressed and ready to go, so I had to be sneaky and take pictures of him through the window. He was very stressed out.

























There were some tears..











After the ceremony it was time to HUSTLE. There was a serious time crunch - the ceremony started late and people wanted to EAT. If I had been a beginning wedding photographer I never would have been able to pull off taking all these pictures in 30-45 minutes. I also had an awesome group. I mean, most of them knew me and made sure to listen as I shouted orders.

Such a gorgeous couple.. and scenery..









You see how my husband is smack dab in the middle of the group? Yeah, that wasn't my idea. It was his. And he wouldn't take no for an answer.



















I would also like to mention that while I have photographed my fair share of weddings, that doesn't mean I won't make stupid mistakes like making my bride step over a fairly wide running stream of water, in which she trips and nearly breaks her ankle. Luckily, Ben caught most of her fall, and she wasn't hurt, but for awhile afterwards I couldn't help thinking "What if she had broken her ankle? The wedding would have been RUINED!" Ah well, a lesson learned. And the wedding was a success.





















Mike and I -



Ben and Kara - thank you for the trip and for being so awesome. We had the best time and will remember this forever.