As seen on Martha Stewart Weddings
First of all, Kelly and Kelsey are remarkable people. They first asked me to photograph their wedding over beers in Los Angeles, explaining they wanted the celebration to be a community of campers who spent the whole weekend with them at Balch Park. As the wedding day approached, this beautiful couple made an effort to spend time with me and my boyfriend over a few different instances of dinner and drinks; they wanted to get to know us as people and encourage us to feel comfortable and welcome at the wedding. They even invited Jeremy (boyfriend) to come, too (another first for me! Who invites their photographer’s non-photographer partner to attend the wedding as a guest?!).
We rented an RV, drove up to Sequoia National Forest, and got into Balch Park at around 9:00 p.m. the day before the wedding.
REAL TALK: I was anxious about this one. I was shooting the wedding of a fellow wedding photographer. I was operating solo, without a second shooter. I’m also not very good at camping (the last time was elementary school Girl Scouts).
And this wedding was legitimately the BEST. DAY. EVER.
The love and kindness of everyone in attendance was a genuine reflection of Kelly and Kelsey as human beings. The support surrounding these two women is unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed before.
These lovely creatures first met on Tinder, of all places. They both swiped right. Kelly and Kelsey also planned surprise marriage proposals within three days of each other.
Not only was Balch Park a stunning setting for their celebration (searching #campbalch on Instagram yielded results for the park, and they excitedly booked it as quickly as possible), but they also later discovered that the founder Allan Balch was Kelly’s sixth cousin. It was just meant to be. Cheesy, and I don’t care.
I take EVERY wedding I shoot pretty personally, but my HEART is in each and every one of these photos. I love this couple and this day so much.
To add to all the special feels, these babes were also featured on Martha Stewart Weddings.
And let’s hear it for the film by Tony of Just Love Films!
Venue: Balch Park
Floral Design: Garin Baura
Videography: Just Love Films
Catering: Anvil BBQ
Kelsey’s dress: Jenny Yoo
Kelly’s attire: Topman + Ted Baker
Invitations: Minted
Rings: Jewelry by Johan
Donuts: Donut Friend
Pie: Otium
DJ: David Jay
