You said yes. Maybe it happened on a quiet morning hike around Convict Lake, maybe under a sky full of stars as you backpacked out to Big Pine Lake, or maybe in your kitchen over coffee and laughter. However it unfolded, that moment—when everything stood still and your future clicked into place—is where your wedding story truly begins.
Now comes the big question: where do you even start to plan a wedding?
If you’re like most newly engaged couples, your mind might already be racing with ideas. The dress. The date. The venue. The photos. Everyone wants to know if you’ve started planning yet—but before you dive headfirst into checklists and spreadsheets, I want to invite you to pause.
Take a deep breath.
Before you plan your wedding, let’s start with something simpler—imagining how you want it to feel.
Visualize Your Wedding Day
Close your eyes for a moment and picture yourselves on your wedding morning.
What does the air feel like? Who’s with you? Is it quiet or full of laughter?
Are you tucked beneath the trees at Forest Chapel, sunlight flickering through the branches as your guests gather quietly nearby? Maybe you’re standing at Convict Lake, where the mountains are mirrored perfectly in the water and the air smells like pine and sage. Or maybe you’re taking the gondola up to McCoy Station, wind in your hair, the whole Eastern Sierra spread out below.
For some couples, the day begins at June Mountain—riding the chairlift to say vows surrounded by alpine peaks and wide-open sky. For others, it’s all about the calm—barefoot in the grass, sharing vows by the lake with only a few loved ones nearby.
Every couple sees something a little different when they close their eyes. That’s the magic of this place—Mammoth has so many faces, each one holding a different kind of energy. Some are grand and cinematic. Others are soft, personal, and quiet.
And the place you picture often says everything about the kind of wedding you truly want.
The vision is the heartbeat of your day. The feeling of the place—the sounds, the pace, the people—is what builds everything else.
When you start by visualizing the feeling of your day, you can build every choice around it: your timeline, your people, and even your photography coverage. Because this isn’t about checking boxes—it’s about creating space for your story to unfold naturally.
Identify Your Wedding Day Values
When you plan a wedding, it’s easy to get caught up in trends and comparisons. But the most grounded weddings begin with values, not visuals.
Ask yourselves:
- What do we want to feel on our wedding day?
- Do we want calm or energy?
- Adventure or connection?
- A big crowd or a few people we love deeply?
If intimacy and stillness matter most, a small ceremony at Forest Chapel or Convict Lake might be perfect. If you value adventure and the kind of celebration that feels like a once-in-a-lifetime experience, June Mountain or McCoy Station could be your match.
The right venue isn’t about size or prestige—it’s about alignment. It’s the space that mirrors who you are and supports the pace of your day.
When you lead with your values, everything else falls into place. Your day starts to take shape in a way that feels grounded and true.
Your Wedding Story Deserves Time
Once you know what matters most, the next step is choosing how you want your story told.
Some couples want a single, focused wedding day—others want to document the entire experience.
That’s why I offer wedding photography packages designed to fit the story you actually want to tell—the full weekend, a day and a half, or just the day.
These aren’t about clocking hours—they’re about giving you time. Time to breathe, to laugh, to be present. Time to let moments unfold instead of rushing through them.
For some, that looks like a portrait session the day before—hiking together, sharing a picnic by the lake, or spending quiet time away from the buzz of the wedding. For others, it’s a morning-after session: coffee in hand, reliving the joy and stillness once the guests have gone home.
Sometimes it’s the in-between moments that end up meaning the most—the ones that don’t fit neatly into a traditional wedding timeline.
Like the bride who got her hair done early, then snuck into the gym for a quick lift before her ceremony. Or the couple who met up for a sunrise coffee before seeing their guests for the first time. Or the family who spent the morning at Convict Lake skipping rocks before getting ready.
Those moments deserve to be remembered, too—and I want to be there for them.
Because your story isn’t just the ceremony or the first dance—it’s everything that leads up to it and everything that follows.
How I Help My Couples Bring Their Wedding Vision to Life
After photographing more than forty Mammoth weddings, I’ve learned that the right kind of support changes everything. My role goes far beyond showing up with a camera.
From the moment you inquire, we’ll talk about how you want your day to feel. I’ll help you define your priorities, design a timeline that honors your energy, and build a plan that keeps you connected to what matters most.
If you tell me you want to spend cocktail hour mingling with your people instead of running off for photos—I’ll make sure that happens. If you want time alone together to breathe before the ceremony—I’ll carve that out in your schedule.
I know these places not just as a photographer, but as someone who’s lived and worked in the Sierra for years—someone who’s watched storms roll over the Minarets, who knows which trails stay muddy and which wildflowers bloom first, who’s seen how the light shifts differently in June versus August.
That local knowledge means you can relax, knowing someone’s looking out for every little detail.
On your wedding day, I’m not just your photographer—I’m your teammate and advocate. I help you stay present when things move fast, go with the flow when plans shift, and keep your vision at the center of it all.
Because this isn’t just about documenting what happens—it’s about creating space for you to feel what’s happening.
Start Dreaming Your Mammoth Lakes Wedding
Whether your day unfolds under the aspens at Convict, tucked into the trees at Forest Chapel, or above the clouds at June Mountain, my goal is the same—to tell your story exactly as it feels. From the calm of the morning to the wild joy of the dance floor, from laughter echoing through the pines to the quiet exhale once the sun sets.
I want your photos to feel like memory—to capture the way your day sounded, smelled, and felt. The little looks, the in-between breaths, the way the light hit your face as you said your vows.
Your wedding story is worth more than a few perfectly posed photos—it’s worth remembering in full.
If you’re newly engaged and dreaming of a Mammoth Lakes wedding that feels like you, let’s start planning together. We’ll create something that honors your love, your pace, and your vision from the heart outward.
Inquire about 2026 Mammoth Weddings here →
