Nakoa wanted his groom portraits taken while he was actually fishing. Not posed with a rod as a prop, actually fishing, actually waiting for something to bite, camera just along for the ride. That’s Nakoa in one sentence: easy, unbothered, exactly himself.

Lucy told me she’d been calling Nakoa her husband long before the wedding ever came. She just couldn’t wait to make it official. You could feel that certainty in every part of the day, steady and sure from the very first hour.

That certainty showed up loudest at the first dance. These two didn’t just dance, they performed. Confetti went off mid-song. A fake ring got produced out of nowhere. A bouquet got tossed into the middle of the whole thing. They built themselves a tiny show, clearly thrilled to pull it off, and I was laughing behind my camera the entire time. It’s a moment from this wedding I keep coming back to.

Later, instead of packing everyone onto a dance floor, Lucy and Nakoa spread the reception out across the lawn for yard games and cornhole. Family and friends scattered in every direction, laughing, competing, just being together. It felt like a wedding built entirely for the people they love, casual and unhurried and completely them.

Lucy and Nakoa, thank you for trusting us with a day this genuinely fun. You built something easy and joyful and completely yourselves, right down to the last prop in your first dance. I hope you feel exactly as happy looking back at these photos as you did living that day.

Enjoy my favorites!

P.S. To anyone with a wedding coming soon, Lucy says: Your wedding should be a reflection of your love and your personalities. DO NOT let anyone tell you what they think should be the best. And don’t lose sight of what matters most. Your LOVE!! And when it comes to choosing your photographer, look for personality, the look of the photographs, and capturing authentic happy moments instead of posed ones.