KYLENE & TIMMY

When I was asked to photograph an intimate wedding in Nevada, I thought I was dreaming. Most of my weddings have been east coast based at this point. Timmy & Kylene asked myself and Christian to join them for their celebration with there immediate family in Reno, NV then headed to Lake Tahoe for portraits.

The day started with us heading to get them ready at their friends house that is nestled in the desert hills above Reno. Using the property to photograph their details, it was time to start getting dressed. Christian was asked by Timmy to help him with his hair, so he got to play stylist for the morning! After we got Timmy ready, we ran into their pet tortoise who I totally thought was just a statue at first. He is indeed real! Kylene’s sister helped her get ready in the foyer of their friends home then we prepared ourselves for the ceremony.

The structure you see built for their family to watch the ceremony was built by our groom himself, which was later turned into where their intimate dinner was held. Kylene was escorted out by her nephew, and the tears were immediately flowing. They exchanged vows, listen to an opera arrangement recorded by a friend while looking out at the mountains, placed rings, and sealed with a kiss!

They headed back up onto the back patio area to greet their guests as new Mr. & Mrs and took a group photo before heading out to take some portraits in the desert! One of the biggest things that I have learned while photographing in these beautiful landscapes, is to not care so much about all of the technicalities of photo composition and just create imagery.

Before this trip, I made some phone calls to the Sand Harbor State Park office to get the necessary documentation to allow us to shoot at Lake Tahoe. When planning your day it is HIGHLY important to make sure this process is complete so that way you don’t run into any trouble or delays, but don’t worry, its my job to help with all of this! Earlier in the week before their wedding we went to the park and picked up the papers needed to work at Sand Harbor!

We did a round of family portraits before sending everyone on their way back over the mountain into Reno to enjoy some cocktails and snacks while we hung back for a bit to shoot some more portraits. Timmy & Kylene laced up their hiking boots and got down to business. Climbing over rocks, dancing in the sand, and watching the sunset over Lake Tahoe was a portrait session from my dreams!

When we arrived back to Reno, their intimate dinner party was getting under way. Market lights lit up everyones faces beautifully for speeches and we headed into dinner. As the moon rose over the city, Timmy & Kylene shared their first dance at Mr. & Mrs., then cut their cake to end off the night!

If you’re planning on doing a destination intimate wedding, don’t the logistics overwhelm you! I am here to help you plan out all of your details!