ALEXA & ERIC

Alex and Eric made a lasting impression on me about what it’s like to really honor and celebrate your community. Having recently moved to Salt Lake City, it was important to them that their loved ones had a great time celebrating in their city, and that their photographs captured friends and family as much if not more than themselves. When we first met for drinks at their neighborhood bar, they spent a good couple of hours telling me all about how much they loved their friends and family. I was able to go into their wedding with a clear vision of what they wanted; photos that honored their loved ones.

They welcomed everyone to Salt Lake with a welcome party at HSL. They enjoyed excellent food and drinks before an emotional set of speeches and slideshow of their lives from childhood to now. I’ve never seen so much laughter, hugs, and happy tears from literally every person in the room.

The day of their wedding was just as emotional and lovely as the night before. They got ready with their friends and family and went straight into their ceremony where their close friend, Brian, married them. After their ceremony we took a few quick portraits so they could get back to their loved ones quickly. The garden was gorgeous and wisteria fell like snow as the wind blew through the fragrance garden.

My favorite part of their day was definitely their reception. Their loved ones have a tradition of doing a sort of line dance that weaved in and out of the reception space for what felt like several songs. Everyone linked arms or grabbed the shoulder in front of them as they weaved from the garden in through the dinner space and back outside again, laughing and dancing together. This led them inside where they had an informal style first dance. I love how their loved ones rushed around them at the end instead of watching from afar. The entire party ended with my favorite band I’ve ever heard perform, Jake and the Heist.

It was a beautiful day spent with folks who really knew how to celebrate their community.