ASTRAY PHOTOGRAPHY

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Kyle + Casey | Big Bear, CA

Kyle and Casey celebrated their wedding in the mountains of Big Bear. Kyle rocked one of the best mustaches we have photographed to date, and Casey overly impressed us with her twerking abilities, needless to say, this wedding was an unforgettable day.

As our crew adventured out from San Diego and started to creep up the mountain, we began to get more and more exited as dark clouds casted shadows over the mountains. Something about eerie, misty mountains gets us inspired so we were eager to get out and start shooting!

With the perfect amount of dancing and endless amounts of Cholula hot sauce, this wedding had all you could ask for. Scope out these photos for the full story.


Q: Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day?

A: Our friend shared that we should check out her family's home and property. Once we saw the property, we decided that it would be a beautiful place to get married and wanted it to be a good, homey, comfortable feel to it. Our palette was representative of that woodsy feel with the green's, white's, and a pop of purple. We didn't incorporate any cultural or religious traditions into our day beyond the emphasis of friends and family.

Q: Let's talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?

A: It was all essentially DIY. Our friends who we rented the venue from also own a restaurant and kept it simply, but elegant, with the inclusion of some table decorations consisting of the often-seen mason jars with burlap, while incorporating apple branches from the trees in their front yard. It was a Big Bear rustic, woodsy vibe.

Q: What were the florals like in your wedding? Did you use flowers in any of your design elements like the bridal bouquets, centerpieces or ceremony backdrop? Did they play an important part in the overall style of your wedding?

A: Flowers were from a local vendor to support local businesses. It largely consisted of baby's breath, greenery, with a pop of the available purple flower in that area. The purple and baby's breath made up Casey's bouquet and Kyle's boutonniere, while the groomsmen and maid of honor just had baby's breath as their accessory.  We got married between two, tall pine trees with a simple, sheer, white linen draped between the two. While this wasn't an important emphasis on our wedding, we just wanted simplicity in our flower choices to act as an accent to the scenery -- we didn't need to dress up our venue due to the surrounding beauty.

Q: Did you personalize the day in any way (food trucks, guest entertainment etc.)? What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?

A: The whole day was personal with how we got married in one of our best friend's backyard with their family catering, the groom's dad DJ-ing, etc. It was an intimate engagement, not intended to be showy, and just an overall sincere experience.

Q: Let's talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? Describe the looks in detail.

A: The bride wanted a dress from Bhldn and did a fitting where she found a dress that made her feel the most confident and comfortable in, while still being appropriate for the backyard wedding environment feel. We chose a purple accent flower due to her dress's ribbon having a lavender ribbon across the back, as well her maid of honor's lavender maxi skirt. She also didn't want a veil, but had baby's breath strewn throughout her hair.The groom wanted something simple with a vest, slacks, and tie. Two days before the wedding, he thought to a herringbone, sports coat that he's owned for almost a decade and tried it on with the outfit, finding it to be a strong compliment.

Q: How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.

A: We met in French class in college -- we always sat near each other, developing a friendship that eventually blossomed into a relationship. In class we were involved with other people and had no intention of having a relationship with each other, but eventually, long after those relationships ended, we found ourselves still close to each other and transitioning into something more.The proposal: When dating, we used to lay out in her hammock at her parents' house, so I set up a hammock in our living room with a night-sky tapestry pinned to the ceiling, and candles lining our coffee table in the living room. When she got home from being out with friends, she say the candles and said, "What are you doing?" to which I said, "I'm asking you to marry me." Her response was, "100%."

Q: What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?

A: Most anticipated: Our goal for the day wasn't to impress anyone. We just wanted to get married, have fun, and dance the night away, all of which we accomplished.Special moment:  While it wasn't expected to be a special moment (it was more for us), our last song of the night was "River and Roads" by The Head and the Heart. Everyone paired off and slow danced while the song played, the lyrics portraying the changing of lives and times, and as the final part of the song started with the singer repeating the title of the song, quite enthusiastically, everyone sang along and it was the perfect ending to a great day. Also, we did a joint bouquet toss that was pretty awesome.

Q: Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you'd like to share with other couples planning their day?

A: Utilize the people around you. Don't spend a fortune around you. Incorporate YOU into the wedding -- make it authentic of who you both are. We received so many compliments from family and friends that felt it was sincere and we owe that to just making it real. Also, in the short time leading up to the wedding, when there are problems and issues popping up related to the wedding, solve the miniscule issues you can, don't stress the things outside your control, and enjoy your day.

Getting married in Southern California? We are San Diego wedding photographers and are open to traveling wherever you are looking to get married. Yes, anywhere. From the mountains in Big Bear to the beaches in Bali we are down for the trip. As not only local wedding photographers but destination wedding photographers we enjoy the long journeys and planned out trips to capture incredible moments in the most fascinating locations. Contact us to learn more about our engagement specials and wedding packages for 2019!

H E L L O. WE ARE ANDY AND BRITTNEY.

PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO LOVE TO CAPTURE ORGANIC REAL MOMENTS...

 ...TRAVELERS WHO LOVE TO WANDER AND SOMETIMES GET LOST.

OUR OBJECTIVE IN LIFE IS PRETTY SIMPLE: LIVE TO CREATE ENDLESS MEMORIES.

LET US HELP C R E A T E PART OF YOUR LIFE S T O R Y.

 XOX.