Julie + Dave’s Backyard Vermont Wedding

Julie and Dave’s backyard wedding in East Dorset, VT, was the stuff that dreams are made of. Their wedding was such a pure reminder for me of why I became a wedding photographer and what a life-changing experience it is every time I get lucky enough to witness and document a couple’s journey. Julie and Dave are naturally unforgettable people and their wedding was a reflection of that. It was full of glowing light, rustic orchards, hand-made hearts, a rope swing, yellow fields and views, views, views expanding in every direction. There was magic and inspiration everywhere. I was struck by how beautiful and authentic Julie and Dave were throughout their day and how much love surrounded them.

Everything about their wedding had so much depth, history and meaning and at the same time was full of regrowth, rebirth and excitement for an unchartered future. Julie’s dress was a recreation of her grandmother’s original wedding dress that her friend (a professional seamstress) worked with her to reimagine. Their rings were passed down from their families, the metal melted, and recreated and given new life for their futures. Friends came forward during the end of their ceremony to sing Julie and Dave down the aisle. And each table went up to the microphone before dinner to say a poem, sing a song or choreograph a dance performance. It was unlike any other wedding I’ve ever photographed. The entire concept of what it means to have a wedding was reimagined and new life was breathed into that. In fact, this day was Act II of a three-act wedding. Act I had already taken place near Sacramento, where Julie hails from, and Act III was planned for Boulder, where Dave grew up.

When we met last spring, they told me how they wanted their wedding day to be about their friends, their family, their community, and that is exactly what their day was, a beautiful moment in time that brought me back to my own photojournalism roots and reminded me how fleeting and gorgeous one moment can really be. Thank you so much, Julie and Dave, for picking me as your photographer. I will never forget how authentic and beautiful your day was and how much of an impression it has left me with.