David & Chelci | Married in Oak Glen

Mist… Mountains… Meadows… and Moccasins?

This was a really good day and these are really good people.

I mean, how often can you say, “I got married in a cloud!”  Yes, it could have been a warm sunny California day in the scenic apple-country of Oak Glen, but it wasn’t.  It was chilly and wet.  Not like ‘rain’ wet, but a soft mist.  And to be honest I think that was even better then a typical sunny day.  Everyone gets those sunny So-Cal weddings, but not everyone gets something as beautiful and unexpected as these two did.  We even frolicked through misty orchards and in Narnia-esque woodlands. You would have sworn that Mr. Tumnus was going to appear from around a tree at ANY minute!

David and Chelci are so in love it’s ridiculous.  They were just laughing, kissing and just relishing in every moment all day.  From the emotional first look til the end of the night, it seemed like they never left one another’s side (except to walk down the aisle of course).  Their love for each other and for Jesus was just bursting at the seams and it was a total joy to be a part of their day.  All the love and clouds aside, there were some other really cool and special aspects of their wedding. Like Apple-freaking-PIES for everyone!  Or how they planted an olive tree together during the ceremony as an act of symbolism for their favorite bible verse (John 15).  How about all the sweet details Chelci put into their day, like her epic Moccasins she (and the flower girl) wore, all the table settings, ampersands, 31 bits jewelry, a Smore’s station… David & the groomsmen’s SOCKS!  Come on!  Oh and my absolute favorite… hand-carved beer tap handles with their initials on them.  What the heck?!  Kudos for the guests hanging in there all night; there were enough smore’s and little fires to around for everyone.  There was even a a few sweet dance sessions that commenced. Who cares if the dance floor is slippery, Apple Bottom Jeans is on!

These are days that I absolutely love what I do and it doesn’t feel like a job, but just a day of taking photos and laughing with wonderful people.  I pray the best for you guys and I know God has wonderful things in store for your marriage!

Lastly, I want to say a big THANK YOU to my good buddy Cory K Hill for second shooting this and braving the cold with us!

To lead you into the photos, here is a bit from Chelci about how their love story began and has grown over the years…

David and I were attending our first year at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff during the spring of 2010. We were introduced one night through a mutual friend in the bottom story of the freshmen dorm hall that we both lived in. Sitting down to a group game of Apples to Apples, David saw a seat open next to me and seized the opportunity. We engaged in a competitive game throughout the evening. David’s jokes made me laugh, which made David tell more jokes. We never could have could have predicted that drawing the ‘sushi’ card during the game would be the start of a life-long friendship and budding romance that would change our lives forever.

The next five years would include a lot of ups and downs, laughs and cries, trips across the world and back, but the we proved inseparable. After over three years of intentional, Christ-centered courtship, late night long distance phone calls, and innumerable trips back and forth from California and Arizona, a new chapter is unfolding. David still makes me laugh and I still laugh at his jokes – and we cannot wait to celebrate the start of this new journey together.

 

 venue : The Homestead at Wilshire

bride’s hair  : rebecca miller

makeup : Iliana La Dama

bridesmaid’s hair : Christie Collazos

floral design : flowers at the homestead by nadine