Emma and David had an intimate wedding in the woods, but not because of COVID19. A smaller guest list was always a part of planning their dream wedding day. They wanted to reduce planning stress, have lots of quality time with their guests, focus on God, and keep their day close to home. Getting married in the woods at Emma’s grandma’s farm in Molalla allowed them to do all of that, and I was lucky enough to spend the day with them documenting all of the magic! When we first talked this spring, we actually spent most of our time talking about our mutual love for the woods—that lovely, dark, and deep feeling—and I knew they were the right couple for me when they said their ceremony would be perfect as long as it was in the woods!

The girl’s got ready in the farmhouse, which reminded me so much of my own grandma’s farm in Virginia that I was temporarily transported back to running across fields in the summer and cozying up to the fire with my cousins over Christmas—life experiences that tied me and Emma together long before we ever met. I’m the first to declare myself the most sentimental person on the planet, so of course this small connection meant the world to me. The boy’s got ready in an RV in the fields (in my humble opinion, the only option better than the woods is camping in fields) after setting up the handmade decor and details for the ceremony. Everyone would walk through salvaged wooden doors to the ceremony, along a burlap aisle, ending at a simple wooden cross that Emma and David wanted to be the focal point of the day, other than the gorgeous woods themselves.

I’ve never seen a bride and groom so completely lost in each other as Emma and David were after they said, “I do.” Wedding days, even small ones, pull your focus in 1000 directions. From the timeline and details to your family and friends, everything demands your attention. But these two were so present and connected with each other, it’s like the rest of the world just melted away. It’s my prayer that they’re able to keep focusing on one another just like this throughout their whole marriage <3

After a (joyfully) tearful ceremony, Emma and David had exactly what they described as their perfect day—lawn games with family and friends, Chik-FIl-A for dinner under the twinkling lights, and delicious cake and dancing. I’m so happy that their day turned out just the way they wanted, and am so grateful that I got to play a small role in it. All my love to these two!