I first met Jenn and Byron at Saratoga Springs‘ bridal showcase back in March and loved them immediately! Jenn was so sweet and laidback that I left the showcase crossing my fingers I’d get to photograph their wedding. I was delighted to get an email from them later that night and have been counting down the days till their wedding. As lovers of the outdoors, they knew Cathedral Grove at Saratoga Springs would be perfect for them. I am so excited to share their magical redwood forest wedding with everyone.

Jenn and Byron live in Denver with two beloved dogs, but chose to have their wedding in the Bay Area so their grandparents would have an easier time making the wedding. They managed to give a subtle nod to their love of the Broncos with the navy and orange wedding colors though, haha! They’re just plain awesome people. They’re the kind of people who stop when they see a hurt cat on the side of the road to take it to the vet. They then called the owner when the cat passed away, sat on the phone as the owner cried and promised to hold onto the cat until the owner got back into town. I mean, how can you help but love people who have such huge hearts?

I was lucky enough to have the fabulous Kim Heath second shooting for me! We started the day at Aloft Cupertino where Jenn and her family were getting ready in one room and Byron, his groomsmen and friends were hanging out just down the hallway. I love that they both left the doors unlocked and basically ran back and forth whenever they needed to… at least until Jenn got into her dress! Jenn’s dress was absolutely beautiful, with a gorgeous lace top with dozens of tiny buttons down the back and a full tulle skirt.

It really was a true DIY affair with Jenn at the hub of everything! She planned everything and didn’t even need a day of coordinator to keep things running smoothly! She knew exactly where all the lovely hand-painted signs went, which family members to grab for photos, and much much more. Also, can we talk about how lovely the flowers were? They were all picked out from the Fremont Flower Mart and Byron’s step-sister Annie stepped in to help with arrangements.

The best part of the wedding, however, was definitely their ceremony. It was pretty much the sweetest thing ever, filled with laughter and tears of happiness under the redwood trees. As Jenn informed me before the wedding, Byron comes from a long line of criers, and it was so heartwarming to hear the emotion in Byron’s voice as he said his vows. Jenn and Byron wrote their own vows and despite not having any clue what the other was writing, they BOTH ended their vows with song lyrics. I mean, if that isn’t a sign they are meant to be, I don’t know what is.

Everyone rocked their speeches, with Jenn’s sisters even preparing a full-on slideshow to go with their speeches! After the speeches and cake cutting, everyone danced the night away under the string lights.

• Venue: Saratoga Springs
• Hotel: Aloft Cupertino
• Dress: Watters at Trudy’s Brides
• Flowers: DIY

Congratulations again to Jenn and Byron on their beautiful redwood forest wedding! If you liked this blog post, you might enjoy reading about 16 redwood wedding venues in the area or this charming Cathedral Grove wedding on summer solstice. Contact me or email me at alice@aliceche.com to book your wedding now.