Sometimes the smallest little weddings can be the largest shows of the heart.

It’s inevitable that through the course of photographing someone’s wedding you become close to them afterwards. It can be a little different when the closeness and familiarity is already established. I met Ali at a memorial service for the father of some close friends of mine. I guess in a way it was a bond forged on an emotionally charged day – and that seems to be how we’re going to keep bonding. Ali is a very dynamic person, there is no doubt after meeting her just for a few moments that you’ve come across someone who is completely unique in the world. She’s articulate, expressive, and driven. I admire her entrepreneurial spirit. She was someone I knew I wanted to photograph (and ended up doing so a couple of times), although I really didn’t think when I met her just a year later I’d get to photograph her wedding.

You see 5 days prior to this wedding I was fully oblivious to Ali and Carlos even having wedding plans. In fact I was messaging her trying to get her to commit to some dinner plans since it had been awhile since we’d seen her. “Holy crap. I am up to my eyeballs with Doggie Joggie, I’m heading down to the courthouse to get married in 5 days, I’m just… swamped. Definitely have to flake tonight,” she told me. Well she didn’t get to flake that night, and we turned out to be open on her day (it never hurts to ask even if it’s short notice folks!), and the rest was an amazing big little day with a lot of love and a fire in the sky that was unlike any I had ever seen.

Hair and makeup by everyone’s favorite Canadian, Cheriene Galley.