Taber Ranch Wedding, Capay, CA | Elizabeth & Robin
2020 has been a complete mystery for all of my fellow professionals in the wedding industry. The only thing we can do is stand strong with our clients and be flexible. I must extend my gratitude to the brides and the grooms have stayed positive and weathered the storm.
Robin and Elizabeth were no exception to this. As my last ‘non-rescheduled’ wedding for June 2020, there was a lot of uncertainty on how everything would play out leading up to the wedding. They were originally supposed to get married in Mammoth Lakes, but with just two weeks to go, it was official that their reception venue was not going to open by their date. Determined to stay on schedule, Robin and Elizabeth moved the wedding close to home.
The wedding ceremony was held at Taber Ranch, a beautiful vineyard in Capay Valley, CA. While this is definitely a change in scenery from Mammoth, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I could not be happier with how the day went.
As I was driving to the ‘getting ready’ location from my hotel room in Davis, there were so many fields of sunflowers. This is a pretty rare site in Southern California so I was in awe. I am so glad Elizabeth’s bouquet utilized these.
Once we arrived at Taber Ranch I set Robin in place for the First Look. The setting was a nice walking path with trees and other greenery on either side. A very subtle cloud cover softened the light just enough to get rich and saturated colors from the environment.
Since Robin and Elizabeth made masks for all of their wedding guests, I knew I had to grab a few photos of them with the masks on. I never thought I would actually like the photos with the masks on, but they were both beautiful and an accurate representation of the time we are in.
The weather was perfect for almost the entire day. Atop the hill at the ceremony site the wind was blowing. And I mean BLOWING. It was difficult to work with at times, but for this flawless wedding party I was able to use the harsh light and direction of the wind to create some Vogue-Esque photos.
Onto my favorite time of the day! SUNSET. The sun setting at this Taber Ranch wedding was stunning. Robin, Elizabeth, Somer (my assistant), and I were taken up to a hilltop that yielded a horizon that I couldn’t resist. I immediately lowered myself down to the ground and gave some simple direction to the couple. I was aiming for a silhouette that belongs in a fairy tail, and I would say the mark was hit. To me, this was everything lining up. From the sun and the clouds in the sky, to the location being changed 2 weeks before the wedding, this is where we were meant to be at that time.
We ended the night with some simple flash-lit photos under the twilight sky. It was a nice soft ending to a wonderful day.
Thank you Robin and Elizabeth for allowing me to photograph this day for you. Thank you for your contagious positive attitudes and your perseverance. I am honored that I was able to travel and share this experience with you both. I look forward to sharing an adventure in Mammoth in the future.
Thank you Taber Ranch for hosting this wedding and taking us to that epic hilltop for sunset. I hope to return soon.
Thank you to my assistant (and my sister) Somer for all your help.
Til next time,
Nic
ABOUT ME: Hi! My name is Nic Hilton. I am a destination wedding photographer based in Los Angeles. I shoot many weddings in the Mammoth Lakes area as well as Southern California but I am available to travel worldwide! Contact Me today because I would love to tell your story.