We started the day with a short hike on a secluded trail in an area of Big Sur that not many tourists go. Lyndsie put her dress on in the forest on the way to their ceremony site. She dawned an epic bridal cape in lieu of a veil, carried a mix of dried, foraged, and wild flowers from an amazing local florist, and put her mother’s garter on before walking down the trail to meet Brett for a first look. They met teary-eyed, and embraced before continuing down the trail to a sanctuary in the woods where they’d say their vows. Their ceremony site was a perfect bend in the trail flanked by four giant redwood trees—a hidden little spot we scouted just for them.

If there is one thing I could see and attempt to capture in Abe and Isaac’s story, it’s their unending strength. Much like the desert. Where life can be harsh, they choose to see the sweetness in it. It’s like the way the Joshua Tree grows from dry, granite gravel ground and it stretches skyward, twisting, flowering in season, and always green no matter the season. Abe and Isaac are that way. Rooted in humility, they are a life force of their own.

Jenn and Dillen celebrated their biggest adventure yet surrounded by their closest friends and a few cactus in the desert of Alabama Hills in the Eastern Sierras. They invited their guests to come out to the desert, brave the heat, and camp with them for a few days surrounding their intimate, eco-friendly wedding day.

From spending sunrise watching the light gracefully warm the Joshua trees, to their ceremony at the base of Cap Rock, to getting tattoos (epic), and watching the sun go down behind mount San Jacinto, Diana and Isiah did it their way. No rules, no strict timeline—just love for those around them, love for the desert, love for the one they stood next to.

A beautifully free and adventurous wedding near the shore of Lake Tahoe including a hiking first look and the sweetest pups as groomsmen in the wedding party.