Ojai Wedding Photos in a Teepee

They met in college as friends. Amanda tried to strategically choose her seat according to where Nate sat and hoped they'd strike up long, meaningful, and deep conversations in a casual way so it didn't look like she was trying as hard as she was. But Nate was oblivious to her seat picking and simply saw Amanda as the sweet girl who made him smile.

The semester ended and though they were both English majors, Nate and Amanda didn't see each other much until she crossed his mind a couple months later. Again and again. Nate took a chance and sent her a message through Facebook and what he didn't see at the time was Amanda's reaction to his message. OH MY GOODNESS THE CUTE GUY FROM MY ENGLISH CLASS MAY OR MAY NOT BE HITTING ON ME!!!

That was the start of their whirlwind college romance which later led to a wedding and starting a life together. Much has changed since their English class days (they got a cute house, started a photography business, and adopted an adorable dog), but they decided to revive wedding memories for the sake of photos. And I couldn't have been more honored to document their love.

Nate and Amanda secured a perfect shoot location in Ojai, California for wedding photos…every inch was stunning…

And the light was beyond…

Many thanks to Jesi Haack for creating a stunning bouquet…

Oh, Amanda…you are beyond–BEYOND–stunning!!

One of the best things I learned about Amanda was that she sourced vintage clothes during college, restyled them, and sold them in an Etsy store…that's how she paid for college. She's even so creative she made her own wedding dress…love it!

After a few traditional wedding photos, the shoot took a slight spin to really show their personalities…

The lovely and uber talented Jesi Haack styled the shoot to reflect a Wes Andersen-inspired twist on camping…

I was so, so, so (that's three so's) thankful to have Beauty by Melina onsite for hair and makeup…I adore working with her and her sense of styling…

I asked Nate and Amanda for a few words on being newlyweds and if they had advice… I think it's good to frequently ask each other how you are doing. It's a simple question, but sometimes when you ask you find out that you had no clue your partner was even feeling a certain way. As cheesy as it sounds, make time to snuggle. 5 minutes of daily snuggling should be mandatory! 😉 Don't stop being silly with one another…ever. Laughter is so important. And lastly, always remember how lucky you are that you got to marry your best friend. (These last 2 sentences are Nate's contribution. He's a man of few words…but a few heart-melting words).”

Loving the SNUGGLE!! 😉

I'm incredibly honored to have this shoot featured on Green Wedding Shoes, so to see more photos, feel free to check it out!