I’ve spent my 20 years of wedding photography pondering the same question:
What would a perfect wedding look like?
Obviously, no wedding is ever “perfect”… nor is that an attainable aspiration. There will always be things that go wrong: missed deliveries, complicated family dynamics, ripped seams.
What I’ve learned in all my years, however, is that the most “perfect” weddings are the ones which are so rooted in happiness that none of the small stuff is focused on, let alone remembered. Weddings built around intense passion, engaged community, and in celebration of lives hard-fought and well-lived. Enter: Candra and Ethan.
Candra and Ethan are two of my most valued friends. I loved them initially because of their musical talent with their impressive knowledge of old style hillbilly, jazz, blues, and country music, but we connected as friends when I began photographing them in tintype years ago. Since then, they have become endeared to me for the same reason I perceive that they connect with most people in their lives: they are people who are intentional in everything they do. They resonate with values of the past which have been lost: values like rejecting thoughtless consumption, caring for beautiful antique clothing, instruments, and furniture, and focusing on their craft in a manner most do not have the patience for. They are never the loudest friends in the room, but are always the best dressed… not because they are obsessed with fashion or opulence, but frankly, because they just have good taste. They will cringe at this description, because even with all these amazing traits, they show up in their lives with humility. In other words: none of this is an act. They’re truly unicorns.
Over a weekend in early October, the tiny sleepy town of Jacumba Springs, California was suddenly buzzing with the energy from Candra and Ethan’s favorite people. Families already aquatinted and integrated from years of knowledge that Candra and Ethan were meant to be together. Musicians flown in from all corners of the country, with countless fiddles, guitars, banjos, cellos, and mandolins in tow. The most insanely gorgeous silks, hats, parasols, and jewelry were chosen for the occasion, which we had all been talking about for months.
The Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel, located in the Sonoran desert a 5 minute walk from the Mexican border, was lovingly renovated from the neglected remains of an older motel from the mid-century days when this town was a vacation destination. For thousands of years, the natural mineral springs have made this place sacred for indigenous peoples and travelers alike, and the ruins of an old bathhouse have been converted into the most charming wedding venue in the desert. Just down the street, the hotel is perhaps the most comfortable and photogenic place I’ve ever stayed. A dream wedding location.
Candra and Ethan’s wedding weekend included multiple concerts, Brendan of Too Tight 78’s spinning records, late night hot springs swimming, and incredible food and drink. Everywhere corner you turned our window you peered into, you’d see people playing music together. It was unforgettable for everyone who attended. A group of friends pooled money to buy them a Edison Fireside cylinder phonograph, and because we couldn’t fit it in a carryon, I made a tintype of their gift to present to them. Perhaps most memorable: their unrivaled, insanely gorgeous matching cream colored wedding garments, each layer thoughtfully collected and matched. They even managed to find antique signet rings with the correct initials. Stunning.
A month later, Candra and Ethan’s dream wedding is still all we are talking about. It was an honor to be there to capture it.
x
