Forest Chapel Wedding, Mammoth Lakes | Lindsay & Daniel

I’m going to start this blog post by saying how thankful I was for the weather. It was absolutely beautiful. I try not to let weather bother me, but mid-October in Mammoth can be crazy. It might snow, it might not. It might be 20 degrees, it might not be. As someone who does a lot of wedding photography in Mammoth Lakes, I like to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. To be honest, I don’t look at the weather beforehand. I don’t want it to change my approach to the day before the day has even started. (Also, I just don’t want to jinx it.)

I want to tell the true story that is unfolding on the day. If bad weather is incoming then that’s part of the story. With that said however, when I got out of the car at Tamarack Lodge I was over the moon. I had a very tough and emotional week with Taylor bringing our newborn into the world and I don’t think I would have been able to handle a gloomy, winter-storm.

To make it even better, Lindsay and Daniel had requested to do a portrait under the stars after the reception. If you don’t know anything about astrophotography, let me tell you that the sky has to be perfectly clear. And it was! Scroll down to the bottom to see that shot. Lindsay and Daniel are experienced astro-photographers themselves so the pressure was on. I tried my best and I couldn’t be happier with the result.

Something really funny happened to my second shooter during the first look. Before I start, if you didn’t know, I should tell you that he got covered in champagne from the bride at the wedding we photographed just a couple weeks before. This time though, he one-upped himself and tripped over a rock and fell right back onto his head. That guy is committed. Maybe he deserves a raise. Haha.

Another funny story I need to tell from the day comes from the father of the bride. He was cracking a bunch of jokes to me all day and during the reception I told him that the father-daughter dance was coming up in a few minutes. He tells me he’s going to go use the restroom and asks how long he has. And I said, “2-3 minutes, you should be fine.” He looks a little perplexed and says “hmm, well if I don’t make it back, you stand in for me.” And just walked away.

Overall, Lindsay and Daniel’s wedding day was incredible to be a part of. I really felt like I was able to bond with them, their family and their friends. I even taught Daniel one of my signature dance moves. I had a blast getting to re-live the wedding day over the last few weeks of post processing the images. There were so many moments I could have included in this post.

Thank you Lindsay and Daniel for your kindness. Thank you for choosing the most beautiful color palette. Thank you for your patience on the final delivery. Most of all, thank you for opening up, being yourselves, letting me in and trusting me to tell your story. It truly was an honor.

-Nic