First of all, I have dreamed of photographing a Twenty Mile House wedding in Graeagle, CA since I became a wedding photographer 8 years ago. It is famed in the Sierra Nevada mountains as one of the most beautiful and idyllic venues we have. It has a reputation for being quaint, quiet and so beautiful that you need hardly any decor. Unfortunately, every time I’ve had a request for a wedding there, I’ve already been booked and I had to refer it out to my friends, who then raved about how gorgeous and perfect the location, the light and the vendors were. As such, you can imagine my joy when Beth and Nick reached out for a Monday afternoon Twenty Mile House wedding.  After clearing up some ecstatic exclamations over the fact that they were going to Portugal, I was able to pave the way for some expletives about the chance to photograph their wedding. I can say with 210% certainty now that everything “they” say about Twenty Mile House being the most perfect wedding venue in California is completely and absolutely true.

Second of all, Beth and Nick are pretty fucking awesome. They are incredibly relaxed, wonderfully charming, have a perfectly dry sense of humor, and are impeccably dressed people.  Not that that’s a requirement for me, but I certainly like it very much because then we can talk about how great Rent the Runway is.  Their family was hilarious, their friends were equally gorgeous both inside and out, and the entire energy of the wedding day was so invigorating and intoxicating I stayed late and never wanted to leave.

Third of all, there is a question on my contact form that asks people what their favorite travel destination is.  Each and every person who doesn’t fill it out NEVER hires me. In fact, it’s usually a sign that they are price shopping and that they are totally going to ghost me. Some people fill it out, but with little specificity. Those people sometimes hire me. Every once in awhile, there is someone who fills it out with enthusiasm and detail, which often means they are my people. Beth was one of those people.

It’s incredibly important to me that everyone has gorgeous, consistent and classic wedding photography at a price they can afford. You can get an awful lot done in just a few hours and there’s no reason why your day has to encompass 8 hours of photos. A lot of photographers try to send people into large extensive packages that are overboard for their event.  Since Beth and Nick were holding a relaxed, intimate (and comedy filled) ceremony in the woods and a languid dinner under the stars on the lawn of Twenty Mile House, they were looking for just a few hours of coverage and a lot of photographers turned them down.  I was so thrilled to be able to accommodate their budget and be a part of their day. I couldn’t have asked for a better couple to pop my Twenty Mile House cherry with and I can’t wait to return.

Also, those girls taught me about Uncrustables and although I’m still not sure how I feel about them, I can assure you I will never see one without thinking about Beth, Nick and all their fantastic friends.

Venue: Twenty Mile House | Planning and Coordination: Rachel Mann | Florist: Sonia Gray | Bakery: The Cake Studio | Caterer: Southern Accent | DJ: Todd Reasor | Bride’s Attire: Jenny Yoo and Julia Needlman | Groom’s Attire: Zara | Makeup: Jay Healy | Hair: Whitney Miranda

Lauren Lindley is New Orleans wedding photographer, also available for elopements and family portraits in the Central Texas and greater Louisiana area. She also services Lake Tahoe, CA, Dallas, TX, and Austin, TX. Also available to provide services for weddings across the U.S. and worldwide. She specializes in capturing artistic portraits paired with unique storytelling moments to produce photojournalism based wedding photography with classic, clean and vibrant images.  Lauren Lindley is currently booking weddings from 2020 and 2021 in Lake Tahoe, CA, New Orleans, LA, Austin, TX and other destinations worldwide.