I can’t get over how magical and gorgeous this candlelit nighttime forest wedding was! If only a night this pretty could last forever! Or at least until sunrise without anyone getting tired, lol.
Candlelit Nighttime Forest Wedding
I really only knew two things about this wedding in the prior months. That it would be in the bride’s parent’s backyard at dusk, and she wanted loads of candles and twinkle lights. Little did I know how freakin amazing this backyard and entire property would be! It was like a secret mossy fairy forest hidden behind an unassuming gate next to a highway. As soon as I walked through the gate I was smitten with everything and everyone I saw.
The couple and their friends and family really outdid themselves with the details and preparations for this event. Almost everything was DIY, and I’m pretty sure I was the only hired vendor they had! Despite all the planning and prep to pull it all together, the day was very laid back. And the couple was very chill. I’ve been photographing weddings for 20 years now. I’ve learned that most weddings need to run on a pretty structured schedule, no matter how relaxed the couple may say they want the day to be. I could tell soon after arriving that this wedding was totally okay running on its own course. We had worked out a photo timeline prior to the day, but we had to do a little pivot! Often the best documentary photos come from unplanned moments, and these images are some of my all-time faves.
The Best Photos are Often the Unplanned Ones
According to the timeline we made, I was to arrive and immediately set up the groom for their first look. After that we would take portraits around the forest and walk to the nearby river. However, when I arrived, I found the bride running around setting things up for the reception. She didn’t even have hair and makeup done yet! This would normally make me very nervous that we’d run behind and miss portrait time. But once I followed her into the house to document this unplanned step, and saw how cute the home was, I was excited to be able to capture it.
The bride grew up in this house and I could tell it was an important part of the story. She applied some of her makeup while standing in the corner of the sewing room, surrounded by handmade pies and sewing materials. Then she moved to the bathroom, where she grew up learning to apply makeup in the same vanity mirror. She wrote her vows while her friend did her hair and her mom put on her jewelry. Her groom patiently waited in the front yard and met arriving guests while she got ready.
Finally, it was time for their first look, and just like that things were back on schedule! We ended up forgoing photos at the river, but I think the getting-ready photos were worth it and totally round out the story of the day!
A Party in the Forest
After a few portraits around the yard, it was time for the ceremony. To access the event space, you had to ascend a trail of stairs up a hill through the forest. The stair rails were completely covered in colorful strips of fabric. Cafe lights hung in the trees above and candles sat along the pathway.
The ceremony was set up between a spread of huge forest ferns and underneath towering old trees. The entire yard was a carpet of squishy moss. The bride’s son played guitar and sang as guests arrived. I loved all the handmade decorations. There was an arbor made from large branches, and moss-covered rings hung overhead, under the forest canopy. The colorful fabric ribbons were also hanging from some golden rings above the space, and dried flowers and other details were threaded and hanging above on string. Oh, and of course cafe lights were hanging through what felt like the entire forest.
The ceremony happened as planned, right at dusk. The bride’s sister officiated. And guests threw dried flower confetti as the couple walked back down the aisle.
It got dark shortly afterward, as everyone found their seats around the dinner table. Dozens of candles illuminated the dinner space, as well as more cafe lights overhead. Dinner was all prepared by the couple and friends and family, and it was delicious. I even got to take home a bag of smoked chicken the groom had made. Which I cooked and ate one evening while editing a lot of these photos! The bride’s son also played guitar and sang for much of the reception. After lots of mingling and visiting, there was some dancing by guests and also a first dance by the couple. Then some campfires were built, pies were brought out, cocktails and hot tea was drunk, and lots of good times were had.