Couple - Emily + Brian

Wedding Venues - Taggart Lake, Dornans Spur Ranch Cabins, and Mountain View Turnout in Grand Teton National Park

Flowers - Mae Orchard Blooms

When it comes to weddings, there’s nothing I love more than couples who are game for early mornings. Sunrise has always been my favorite time of day - the optimism of a new day, new cups of coffee to drink, wildlife simultaneously getting a start to their days; versus the closing of a day and darkness falling. Not to mention the lighting - plenty of photographers claim that the backlighting of sunset is the best, but I’ve always thought the Tetons shine most when they aren’t being washed out by the sun.

Emily, Brian, and I started the morning at 5:45am with a 1.5 mile hike to Taggart Lake in Grand Teton National Park. Wyoming was having a wildflower superbloom moment unlike any I’ve seen before, which was such a special way to start the hike.

At Taggart Lake, we visited my favorite spots and then made coffee and ate Persephone pastries by the lake. As we ended our morning session, the forecasted stormy clouds began to roll in, as if they had held out just for us.

We took a break for the day and then reconvened at Dornan’s cabins in Moose that evening. From there, we popped over the Mountain View Turnout for the actual ceremony. It was still a bit cloudy, so I am so grateful for that sunrise session’s perfect weather, but the sun made an effort to show up and occasionally burst through.

The Tetons are a volatile range and you don’t always get the weather you want, but Emily and Brian seemed to have a lot of luck on their side. The storms skirted around our sessions perfectly and even turned into an overnight freeze that killed the superbloom the very next day. Timing your destination wedding can be so tricky, but sometimes the payoff is worth all of the risks.

I talk a bit about the intangibles on my investment page - things like working with a photographer who has also worked as a hiking guide, or with a photographer with a deep knowledge of the flora, fauna, and history of this place. It’s hard to say if this translate to better images (though I’d say it does, because you can’t photoshop comfort and joy) but it absolutely does translate to a better experience.

It’s very special to connect with someone over the Indian Paintbrush and Lupine they hand drew on their vow books, because those are your favorite flowers too, and to learn about a new, amazing portable espresso unit. I don’t often go into sessions expecting to learn from my clients and they probably don’t expect the same from me, but I think it’s really special to experience a wedding where everyone is on the same wavelength.