Kim & Garin's Forest House Lodge Wedding - Foresthill, CA.

One of the most amazing parts about my job, besides witnessing the union of a couple, is being able to make new friends and, in this case, reconnect with an old friend and get to know the man she loves. During Kim and Garin's engagement session I was able to get a brief tour of the wedding venue the couple decided on. Forest House Lodge is a stunning, hidden gem of a venue nestled away in the small town of Foresthill, a short drive from Auburn, CA. It is the perfect mountain wedding venue and this mountain-raised photographer couldn't be more excited to get a chance to shoot a wedding here. I felt right at home with the dry mountain air and the pine trees surrounding us at every turn.

The morning of the wedding, I arrived at the Forest House Lodge to find the bride-to-be with her bridesmaids and her mother getting all glamored up for the day. The bridal suite at the Forest House Lodge is absolutely stunning: gold mirrors, luxurious curtains and posh couches, multiple hair styling stations, a couple of bathrooms and plenty of space for a pretty large wedding party. My heart started to quickly beat with excitement and I knew the day was going to be perfect!

The morning went smoothly and it was finally time for me to meet up with the groom and his groomsmen for pictures. Garin was sooooo excited, his high spirit was infectious, rubbing off on everyone around him. We took some fun photos of them in the venue's unique game room and also a few of Garin in his, aptly named, "Mancave". The groomsmen were so incredibly fun during their photos.

The time came for us to get Kim in her dress. With her bridesmaids and her mother all ready to go, Kim got ready to slip on her gorgeous wedding gown. She looked fabulous! She is such a natural beauty, I hardly gave her direction because she was doing it all on her own. Before moving on to the girls photos, we decided to squeeze in a few "first look (no look)" photos. Kim had talked Garin into taking these photos as a compromise, since he wanted to stick to tradition and not see her until the ceremony. He was not allowed (or able) to see Kim as she peeked out at him around the doors. This was a really fun way to get additional romantic images of the couple.

Before we knew it, the guests were being shuttled from the Forest House Lodge to the ceremony site about one mile up the road. The bride, her girls and I hopped in the bridal shuttle and made our way to the ceremony site. A flagstone path covered with rose petals led from the bridal tent to the altar which is set high on a ridge above the American River canyon: it was an absolutely stunning view. As I positioned myself for the ceremony, I could really feel the love in the fresh mountain air. Not only was the couple excited to be married but you could truly tell both families were excited to become one.

This beautiful mountain-chic wedding was an absolute joy to photograph. A special thank you has to go out to the Forest House Lodge venue. They have to be one of the hardest working wedding staffs I have ever seen, plus they welcomed me with open arms. But one of the coolest things about this venue, and what I think sets them apart from other venues, is they know have to have fun and they do it with class. With their help not a detail was overlooked and not a belly was unfed. To top off the awesomeness, they have a collection of hats, all sorts of styles and sizes. As the evening goes on you can only imagine what will happen. Between the amazing style of Kim and Garin and the help of the venue the entire day was perfect.

With all that said, Kim and Garin are MARRIED!!! And I couldn't have been more excited to be the photographer for their special wedding day. Congratulations Kim and Garin Clyma!!!!