I have many fond memories of Dasha and Henry’s Big Sur wedding at the Grange Hall, but my favorite is the one when Dasha, while wearing her wedding dress, scaled a near-vertical cliff on a whim, to perch above us and peer down, looking both dignified and adventurous, her soon-to-be husband gazing up admiringly at her as he stood below on the beach, holding her bouquet.

You can see a photo of that moment in the gallery below, along with many other amazing memories from their small and intimate Big Sur wedding, which happened in a light rain under the redwoods, just outside of Big Sur’s rustic Grange Hall.

Dasha and Henry got ready in a beautiful home off Palo Colorado Canyon Road, which had sweeping views of the lush green hillsides. Those views provided a great backdrop for our first photos, before we headed out on a quick tour of Big Sur for pre-wedding portraits. We visited the Bixby Bridge, Hurricane Point, and ended up at Pfeiffer State Beach, where the above-mentioned climbing incident occurred. There were a lot of people on the beach that day, and many of them told Dasha that she is a total badass. It was fun.

At the Grange, the ceremony was delayed a bit due to rain. But that was no problem; guests had gathered inside and all were happily chatting. When the rain ended and the sun peeked through, the harpist moved outdoors and everyone gathered in a semicircle for the ceremony. It was informal but intimate. A friend performed the ceremony. Dasha and Henry read their own vows. I saw a few tears shed. It was perfect.

The rest of the day was a relaxed get-together, with a delicious dinner prepared by the Wild Plum Cafe. I had time to set up lighting for a couple creative portraits, like the one at the top of this blog post that was taken among the redwood trees near the Grange Hall. It was a wonderful day, and I left feeling lucky to have had the honor of documenting it.

My favorite photos are in the gallery below.