Sometimes a turn of events can transform something beautiful into something magical.

Even though it can be hard on planners, as photographers, we often feel like the more interesting photos happen when “the plan” gets shaken up a bit.

Ricki and Geoff, and their amazing planner and event designer Jessie Abrams Baca, had spent over a year creating a beautiful, colorful wedding weekend at Rancho Bernardo Inn in sunny San Diego, where the weather is always perfect and the sun can be counted on to shine.

Friday gave us a warm, pleasant evening for their rehearsal fiesta, where guests sipped pretty blue cocktails, noshed on Mexican food, puffed on hand-rolled cigars, and were entertained by mariachi musicians and dancers.

On Saturday, we all woke up to a steady, heavy rain that endured the entire day. When it sunk in that an outdoor ceremony would be impossible, Jessie and her team got moving creating an alternative ceremony environment under a tent, hoping to preserve the same feeling as the lawn wedding would have had. All the same decor was used, but the tent had to be lit with glowing orange lights, and guests were seated close together in order to fit everyone under the shelter.

Being in the cozy tent, surrounded by the warm colors Ricki and Geoff had chosen, made the ceremony all the more intimate and unique. The bridal party entered carrying brightly colored vintage umbrellas that the resourceful Jessie had found at the last minute. And the bridesmaids wore adorable rain boots one of them had picked up at Target just a couple hours before the ceremony.

All the last-minute rain adjustments only added more character and distinction to this already gorgeous event. It felt like we were all part of something very special – and something utterly unforgettable.

For the reception, the ballroom was transformed into a wonderland filled with candles, flowers, and white lounge furniture. Once the dancing started, it never stopped till the very end. We had a blast photographing Ricki and Geoff and all their fun friends and family. Toward the end of the night, Jessie brought in In ‘n’ Out burgers and fries (and hats of course!) for all the guests, ending the evening on on a high note.

Thank you to Jessie for making our jobs fun and stress-free and to our crazy-talented friend Brett Butterstein, who helped us shoot this beautiful event. All the photos that aren’t tagged with Ben or Erin’s names are Brett’s. And finally, to Ricki and Geoff for being so wonderfully laid-back, kind and gracious. We wish you a lifetime of serendipity.

We have known Collins for a few years now through the Foundation Workshop Forum. We always love the challenge of shooting for a fellow photographer, and Collins and his now-wife Uche are an exceptionally cool couple, so we couldn’t wait to see how their wedding would play out.

Lucky for us, it was a day of constant laughter, pure emotion, true love, and some beautifully expressive people. Uche and Collins had a traditional Christian church ceremony, followed by a lively, colorful Nigerian celebration at Houston’s Hobby Center. Theirs was the kind of wedding we would have loved to have been guests at. Amazing decor and lighting, great Nigerian dance music, and a nonstop party. They did it up right, that’s for sure.

Since their wedding, we’ve hung out with Collins at the Mystic conference in Connecticut and with both Collins and Uche at WPPI in Las Vegas, where we danced with them for hours at one of the big photo parties. It’s been so much fun getting to know these two. Hopefully Collins can continue to persuade Uche to come to more photo conferences so we can see both of them more often.

(words by erin)

It’s so refreshing for us to meet couples who do things their own way.

Emily and Jamison got married on a whim in Peru almost two years ago. They were on vacation there, and recently engaged, and somehow all the stars aligned and created a perfect environment and moment for them. Rather than wait to plan a big, traditional wedding, they decided to go ahead and get married right there, in a most unexpected place and time. Emily put on a long white sundress she had packed for the trip, and Jamison wore a red plaid shirt.

They married themselves, sitting face to face on a blanket in a beautiful field perfectly lit by a warm, golden sun just before it dipped down for the night. They had an employee from their hotel take a few photos. She was the only other person there besides them.

When Ben and I arrived at Emily’s father’s house for the long-overdue celebration they had commissioned us to shoot, I stared and stared at one of the photos from that day that was propped up on a table – of Emily and Jamison on their blanket staring into each other’s eyes. They looked so peaceful, and so resolved. It was a moment they could have shared with hundreds of people, dressed to the nines in an expensive venue decked out with lights, flowers and decor. Yet they chose to make this moment solely theirs, in clothes they had casually thrown in a bag, in the middle of nowhere. They had recognized the moment as being right, no matter how unconventional, and they went for it.

As much as we would have loved to photograph their ceremony, I love that they did things their own way. They will always have that precious, quiet space of time reserved only for them. What an amazing memory it must be.

Emily and Jamison’s families wanted them to have a second ceremony, in front of all their friends and family, but in their minds their marriage started that day in Peru, and there was no need to have a normal ceremony back home just for show. So we were called in to photograph a party at Emily’s childhood home to celebrate that marriage.

It was a treat to watch Emily and Jamison reunite with old friends, and to hear them tell their unique story again and again. Emily also serenaded Jamison with a special song she wrote for him on her guitar; and friends and family honored the couple with heartfelt tributes. However one of the most fun parts of the night for us was watching Emily dance. The girl loves to dance, and she’s great at it. She ruled the dance floor all night long with her joyful, carefree spirit.

We’re so happy we got to meet these two, and to get a brief glimpse into their lives. We found them to be a true inspiration, and an important reminder to always follow your heart and to not be afraid of doing things your own way when the moment opens its arms to you.

Lauren and Troy’s wedding was one of those really special events in which, when we had to say our goodbyes on Sunday, we felt like we were truly going to miss everyone.

We shot Friday and Saturday, and also during the after-parties each night, and bonded with their wonderful friends and families over the course of the weekend-long celebration in one of our favorite cities in the world. Lauren and Troy are smart, hilarious, and easy to love, and so naturally the people they’ve drawn in to their inner circle during their lives are pretty remarkable as well.

We started with a rehearsal dinner at the red-velveted, candlelit Muriel’s, and finished the evening with beers and bead-tossing from the balcony of our hotel. Saturday’s ceremony was at the historic Saint Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square. It was our first time shooting there, and we found it incredibly beautiful and inspiring. For the reception, Lauren and Troy (and Lauren’s wonderful mother Lynda, who planned nearly everything herself) treated everyone to a classic New Orleans experience – complete with live bananas foster stations and a “second-line” parade around the French Quarter. (Second-lining is a New Orleans tradition where everyone follows a brass band through the streets – originally used for funerals and now used for major celebrations).

Photographing Lauren and Troy’s second-line was one of the most intense shooting experiences we’ve ever had – shooting while walking backwards over many city blocks, at night, constantly bumping into and apologizing to the annoyed musicians, dodging drunk people in the streets and stumbling over discarded Mardi Gras beads. When we finally got back to the hotel, where the parade ended, we were dirty and drenched in sweat, but loving life in that moment. It was one of the best endings to a wedding day anyone could ask for, and we were so happy to have front-row seats to see Lauren and Troy experience it.