wendy + charley

moab backyard wedding

i always feel crazy lucky when i’m asked to photograph the love between a couple, especially on their wedding day, and especially when they’re moab locals. this is a small town, so sometimes it feels like we’re all family, living in this little valley together. like we all get what it means when left turns become impossible in the spring, when you just cannot go to the grocery store because you might not find a parking spot, and when, in early september, nothing sounds better than fall.

i know wendy from the wedding world. she and charley both work at a beautiful lodge on the river which sometimes provides a venue for couples to hold their weddings. she would be the person i would go to when i was trying to find the room the bride was in, or when the rain rolled in and the ceremony had to be pushed back an hour. needless to say, when she contacted me to photograph her wedding here in moab, i was an absolute yes.

she and charley were married at the base of our local mountains, on a beautiful piece of property. as their guests rolled in, it was obvious that this was going to be an evening filled with a lot of laughter and big hugs. the clouds hung out for a bit which was a welcome respite from the summer to come. wendy got ready upstairs, her girlfriends and mom helping with all the little details. something i absolutely loved about their day: as wendy walked down the aisle with her dad she was given a single rose by each of the most important women in her life. by the time she got to her mother she had an armful of roses and her mom had the ribbon to tie them all together for her bouquet. i had never seen anything like it and loved how personal and unique it was!

the rest of the evening held great food (which the happy couple of course couldn’t help but help serve), adorable kiddos dancing their butts off, delicious homemade cupcakes, and a gorgeous view of the mountain behind. congratulations wendy + charley! xo