Mini weddings are a thing! I've been lucky enough to photograph a handful over the last year. if you are unsure what a mini, or micro, wedding is, it's a small ceremony, usually including under 20 people and has been put in the place of a larger ceremony and reception due to the pandemic we know as covid-19 or coronavirus, or as we call it in my house hold- the virus.
when i was contacted by the caterer, the lovely laura neely, this wedding seemed perfect, it was local in a small town north of san francisco called mill valley. it also happens to be the town both my brother and his family and my mom live in. i know it well. i grew up exploring the redwood lined mountain streets that live just below mount tamalpais ("the mountain" to us locals call it).
then I got on the phone with maeve, my bride. she was sweet, kind and it felt like a perfect fit. the ceremony was at her parent's home in mill valley, and they wanted another location for their portraits. i have favorite location called stolte grove. i refer to it as my "secret garden". it is a whimsical dream and i had just used it for my own styled shoot a few months earlier. so here are my perfect images in my perfect secret garden.