When you think “backyard, East County San Diego Wedding,” what comes to mind?

Barns? Cows? Big family weddings?

This one had the BIG family — there were 12 siblings on the bride’s side alone! — but not a rustic detail in sight. Don’t get me wrong, I adore a beautiful barn wedding (this Spreafico Farms- San Luis Obisbo Wedding is still one of my favorites), but this wedding was anything but provincial.

The entire wedding and reception was in the backyard of the bride’s childhood home- and full of fun, funky details: the groom using the bride’s younger siblings’ trampoline, flower ties that showcased the boy’s hilarious personalities, and all the guys posing with the retro travel trailer that was to be the honeymoon home for the new couple as they traveled slowly around on the perfect West Coast camping honeymoon. Every detail spoke of the couple that we were celebrating.

The bride got ready in her parents’ room with her mother there to help her button into her grandmother’s dress- slightly made-over, but still holding every bit of nostalgia and gorgeous lace that it did for the two previous weddings that it was in. It was everything you could dream of with close friends and siblings; all the teasing and laughter and chaos of friendship and childhood.

The ceremony itself was in the side yard. Chairs set out in groups of two and three to give a little comfort to those still being careful during the pandemic, the aisle lined with rugs and flowers, and every inch of it telling of careful planning but zero stress. As you may have noticed, I am a flat-out sucker for orange, and I could not have been more in love with the various rusty toned bridesmaid dresses that Hosanna chose. Every person in the wedding party looked fantastic, chiefly because they were allowed to be different, allowed to be themselves. Hosanna and Timothy told me right from the start that they wanted this wedding to focus on the people that supported them, their family and other guests. They did exactly that, they chose joy over stress in Every. Single. Detail - and it showed. When the bride’s special-needs brother wasn’t comfortable taking photos, everyone let him be, and he eventually showed up with a huge smile for a few. When a baby squawked during the ceremony, the pastor worked it into his speech, and everyone laughed. They get to look back on this day with such great memories because they chose laughter at every turn.

This couple …hikers, entrepreneurs, lovers of people, do-it-yourselfers, travelers, problem solvers, dreamers and homebodies. They love pranks (Timothy), and planning (Hosanna), Jesus, their families, adventure, and a good time. They stay away from meaness, social media, and the need to pretend - about anything. They made me feel like I had known them forever and I left wanting to be real life friends…

And the backyard reception? Well, it was a PARTY! Complete with everyone dancing: from the youngest baby, to grandma learning the Cupid Shuffle with one of the bride’s brother’s careful instruction. I typically tell my couples to save some money for the honeymoon and not keep me for the entire evening, just until I have some good dancing photos – this time the entire wedding ended up in the pool at the end of the night- I will forever be sorry that I missed it.