BACKYARD INTIMATE WEDDING: TRACEY & ZACH

It was June 28, 2014. Tracey had brought her new-ish boyfriend Zach to her sister’s wedding, and Chris and I were the photographers at said wedding (shout out Nicole and Oscar!!!). During family portraits, we were following our meticulous list when Nicole made a comment along the lines of “I don’t know why we’re even bothering taking photos without Zach, we all know he’s going to be family!” Nicole, your intuition is gold my friend!! GOLD!

Fast forward to July 2018 when I get the best email ever from Tracey sharing the news of her engagement! I remember during our early chats, Tracey and Zach were slightly on the fence about how big of a wedding they TRULY wanted. Their venue hunt varied and it was a little tough to hone in on their exact vision for the day. They eventually found the perfect venue and the vision was all coming together. In walks COVID-19. Their May 2020 wedding was right in the cross-hairs and they were back to square one. Visions changed, dates changed, and then it all continued to change as our world found its footing and figured out how to live again. One thing never changed, Tracey and Zach wanted to marry each other in 2020 - even if it was in their own backyard!

And that’s exactly what they did!! In August, three months after her would-be-wedding-date, Tracey married the love of her life at the home she grew up in, with only her inner-most circle in attendance. It was intimate and beautifully moving. My theory is that it was originally tough to find the perfect venue because THIS was it all along. After saying their vows, the newlyweds shared a champagne toast with their guests and then we took just the couple over to the park for a magical sunset. Afterwards, the newly minted Mr. & Mrs. whisked away for a romantic dinner and to start their life together! What a PERFECT day!!!

First Look with Dad! <3

Tracey and Zach were very concerned with keeping their families safe and set up their backyard accordingly! There were four mini-groups of chairs so that each family unit could have a 6-foot radius. Everything was outdoors and each guest was given an adorable custom mask & hand-sanitizer favor. The amount of thought and care shown to protecting each other was an unexpectedly beautiful memory!

After the ceremony, the family transitioned to the front yard where they were greeted with a champagne toast and some yummy cake to-go!

Precious Moments anyone?

These two photos are so special to me! I captured the photo on the left in 2014 at Tracey’s sister Nicole’s wedding and we obviously had to re-create it. Sister love!!! I hereby submit my formal application to be adopted as the 3rd sister! I met Nicole and her then-fiance Oscar in 2013 and we become fast friends. In addition to photographing their TWO engagement sessions, their wedding, their newborn photos (twice), and family photos…we’ve also been welcomed into their life via baby showers, birthday parties, sushi dates, and family gatherings. We consider them to be two of our dearest friends, which is how we also formed an amazing friendship with Tracey and Zach!