Lauren and Andrew had one hell of an awesome Sacramento Crocker Art Museum wedding! This wedding was the perfect way to kick off my 2019 wedding season because this couple is the business!! Lauren and Andrew are such beautiful humans inside and out. Being a part of their wedding day was so special to me! I feel hard for these two during their engagement session and now will basically force them to be friends with me for the rest of their days. I love the way they have approached their relationship and their marriage. They value the rest of their lives together much more than this day that began it all and that is the secret sauce to making a wedding outstanding. When a wedding is the tasty extra to an already delicious relationship it make the day better and more enjoyable. Lauren and Andrew surrounded themselves with people who adore them (which I’m pretty sure is everyone who has ever met them) and let each moment be a shining example of why the are perfect for each other. I love photographing people who aren’t afraid to love each other big. Lauren and Andrew do just that and in their own perfect way. I often have couples say they don’t want any posed photos – just pictures of them being together. But then, they don’t get TOGETHER. They put hands in pockets or stand away from each other and no matter how you slice it that doesn’t look like a good photo of being together. This means I have to direct a little bit. But not with these two. Even when they weren’t touching, they were connected. It was something so incredibly lovely to feel and to witness. They weren’t shy about loving each other, laughing with each other or crying when they couldn’t help feeling so damn happy that tears sprang to their eyes. It’s this kind of vulnerability and comfort that make for photos that truly show who you are. How lucky am I to be trusted to make photos of people this wonderful? From the moment I walked into the hotel suite and was told the bride and ALL the bridesmaids wanted a photo in the tub, to the moment Lauren walked down the aisle to a song from a tv show I adore and try to make everyone watch, to the moment Lauren and Andrew got officially hitched, to the dip in the first dance and Lauren just NOT being able to cut the cake this wedding had my heart – and for that I couldn’t be more grateful. Enjoy Andrew and Lauren’s big day – these pictures do no justice to how big their love is and how deeply they are loved – but man did I try. 
If you could do it all over, would you change anything about your wedding?
There are a few things, but I would definitely worry less about getting married in the winter. I felt weird about it being in February, which is a pretty unusual time of year for a wedding, but there were a lot of advantages to being during off-season! Vendors that might have been harder to get (cough- Sarah Maren- cough) were available, and people were generally able to make it since it wasn’t in a peak travel time. Plus, doing it at the Crocker could not have been more perfect for us, and they have the most gorgeous indoor spaces ever.
(Editor’s Note: Do NOT ever stress about getting married in the off season! Winter weddings are THE BEST! The light is always awesome, no one is melting from crazy heat, and if you have an awesome venue like The Crocker you won’t even care if it’s raining! And, as Lauren pointed out, you’ll get your pick of vendors! DO IT! Have a winter wedding! You won’t regret it!)
What was your favorite image from your wedding and why do you love it best? (1 of 3)
My favoriteS are the three images below, because they are just a perfect visual of our personalities and the way we feel about each other. On that day and every day. I love that they manage to be silly and elegant at the same time.
(Editor’s Note – I’m thinking “Silly and elegant at the same time” should be my new slogan. Thoughts?)
Do you have any advice for other couples planning their wedding?
Guess what: you’re getting married. You and your partner. You’re not marrying your guests. You’re going to spend some of time worrying about everyone else having a good time. Don’t spend too much time on that, though. Spend more time thinking about your relationship, your ceremony, the things that are special to you, and less time worrying about vegan, gluten-free entrees and the centerpieces. Everybody else is going to forget most things about this day (except your mom, maybe), so make it special for you. Also, get marriage counseling! That’s a way better use of your time than any wedding planning ever will be.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This right here is why I loved these two! Their marriage was more important than their wedding and it showed! Their wedding was SO filled with love and joy and excitement for the future. And while their wedding was show stoppingly beautiful, they were clearly much more invested in each other than they were a single day in what will surely be a long joyous life together. It made photographing their wedding a dream!)
What was your favorite image from your wedding and why do you love it best? (2 of 3)
Andrew’s favorite the image below… obviously. It’s so good. I shared this on Instagram, but it was our dream to get married in Yosemite. Due to time constraints and accessibility issues for family members, we knew from the beginning that it just wasn’t going to happen. When we were taking the pictures in front of this painting, it didn’t really hit home for me that it was OF Yosemite. Then, sitting in the airport when you (Sarah) texted me this shot, I totally started crying. We had this perfect little moment where we were basically IN Yosemite. You’re a sorceress-photographer, Sarah, there’s nothing else to say about it. 
What was the most memorable moment of your day?
There were so many wonderful, beautiful moments throughout the day. I have to say, when the guitarist (from the Lucky Devils Band) started playing our processional, a very specific cover of the Tina Turner song “Simply the Best” from the TV show Schitt’s Creek, I (Lauren) kind of lost it. We knew that it was a crapshoot to request a relatively unknown song and ask for someone to learn it for our wedding, but they came through. I wasn’t sure until the moment I heard the first notes that it was happening. And then I got to walk down the aisle to a song that means so much to me. It all came together for me in that moment, and the rest of the night felt so special after that.
Andrew says the band and dancing. After toasts and first dances were over, the band started playing September by Earth, Wind, and Fire, and there was an actual surge of people running to the dance floor. They stayed there all night, to the point where we were pretty much kicked out! We hired The Lucky Devils and they did not disappoint.
What was your favorite image from your wedding and why do you love it best? (3 of 3)
Ok but honorable mentions are awarded to images from our cake cutting. That was such a hilarious moment because I really panicked about that cake cutting in the moment and then simply could not do it. Andrew, like the solid, consistent dude that he is, followed through on the obligation. What a gem. Super glad I married him. 
Where did you honeymoon?
We went to Oaxaca City and spent a week gorging ourselves on coffee, mezcal, and salsa. It was such a celebratory, easy place to vacation, every day felt like its own little party. 10/10 would recommend.
