Fort Bragg Ca Wedding Photographer: Mr. & Mrs. Abernathy

The days leading up to the wedding day were filled with a constant urge to check to see if the weather was going to be clear for the wedding day.   

Ky and Katie had planned a beautiful ceremony out on the Navarro beach in Albion Ca,  about 25 minutes south of Fort Bragg Ca.  The weather was calling for rain all weekend without any anticipated breaks.  Needless to say, we all were crossing our fingers and sending out hopes and prayers for a window of good weather.

They say rain on your wedding day is good luck.  They say “tying a knot and the knot gets wet, the knot becomes tighter and stronger” Therefore a blessing of a strong marriage to the couple on their wedding day.  It was very fitting for this couple because they would be handfasted and literally tying the knot.

Rain or shine, Jena and I were ready to capture this amazing couple’s wedding and make it the best it could possibly be.  There were no little black rain clouds going to come and cloud up our excitement for this wedding.   We Macgyver’d rain shields for the cameras and we picked up some rain ponchos ready for an adventure.

Traditionally Jena and I ride together to weddings.  Listening to playlists that are going to set the tone.  This particular morning we were listening to my wedding playlist.  We picked up Katie to meet Ky for their first look. She was reserved and quiet, likely concerned for the weather. However, this was her wedding day it was time to be excited and to leave the worry behind. For me, the weather could not ruin their day, it would just elevate the story.   Jena and I gushed about how stoked we were for their first look, and our plans to rush away to the redwood to capture their portraits. Katie seemed to relax.  It wasn’t until her first look with Ky until she fully let go of the worry. 

We planned the first look to be on the porch of the Navarro Inn.  The Navarro Inn is a historic building that is one of the two last standing buildings of the former town of Navarro that was lost to a series of natural disasters the town suffered an earthquake in 1906, a flood in 1907, and a fire that took most the remaining town in 1913.  The inn has been restored over the years which provided us a planned safe haven from the rain on this wedding day.

When we arrived at the inn Ky was awaiting his bride.  Jena directed him to the edge of the porch to wait for Katie.  There was a light mist in the air along with excitement.  Katie walked up to Ky and touched his shoulder.  He had to take a breath and prepare himself before he looked at his bride.  Katie left him in awe.  The couple embraced and mutually melted into each other’s arms.  Jena and I wept behind our cameras.  After the first look took us all by surprise Jena and I let the couple have a moment to themselves without an audience.  Once ready we continued with a few images before heading into the redwoods.  

The redwoods were wet, but it wasn’t raining.  The trees would drop some rain from their branches here and there but IT WASN’T RAINING!   I had so much fun in this particular part of the day because they gave me artistic freedom and allowed me to play with the lighting as I needed.  Ky and Katie nailed the poses and made some magic.  While never leading on that it was sooooo cold in the woods. Once done we all jumped in the car and warmed up before the beach ceremony.  

Once we arrived the family and friends were at the ceremony site excited to watch these two incredible people be married.  The beach was windy, a little chilly but it WASN’T RAINING!  What a fantastic gift the universe could give this couple.  

Ky led the ceremony walking in with his and Katie’s mom on either arm.  As he waited to see his bride come down the aisle he was stunned at her beauty once more.  Katie was walked in by her dad, he looked proud of his daughter and the man she chose to marry.   The ceremony was preceded by a beautiful handfasting where the fathers of the bride and groom presented their family cords and the officiant had a white cord that completed their bond.  While hand fast they exchanged their rings and once done they slid out from the loose knot and pulled it tight.   

They became husband and wife.

Ky and Katie shared their first kiss as a married couple in front of their closest friends and family.  The small crowd made a loud celebratory cheer.   They were married! 

After the ceremony, we snapped some shots on the beach before meeting back up with the family at the inn.  As we were shooting the formal family images the mist came in, Light, cool, and drizzly.  The universe had given us the gift of a rain-free wedding.  It was so magical and perfect.  

The following Friday the couple celebrated with their friends who were unable to attend the ceremony at their reception hosted at Wine Time in Chico Ca.  The reception was intimate and fun.  The guest list was small but the love was all there.  The couple shared their first dance, which was followed by the father-daughter dance and the mother and son dance.   The couple cut the cake and shared their first bites.  However afterward, the couple had a new tradition I had never seen before.  The guests voted by money who will receive cake in the face.  The person with the most money gets the cake in the face.  Ky won, or lost…. But he was gifted a handful of cake to the face from his bride, and she seemed to have a lot of fun with it too. 

Jena and I had such a fun time getting to know Ky and Katie a bit more and we were welcomed by their friends and family which always enriches our experience as a wedding vendor. 

I speak for both of us when I say that we had such a wonderful time. Wonderful is truly an understatement. We feel so privileged to have captured your wedding events and to visually retell the story for many years to come. 

We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness

Cheers!