Santa Cruz Cowell Ranch Hay Barn Wedding | Crystal & Erin
Two amazing women getting married during Pride month. So many beautiful stories of love, forgiveness, and acceptance - I was literally in tears. Still, I'm so grateful to have witnessed and learned so much about love. Love is love.
Crystal was surrounded by her close friends while getting ready. I fell in love with her delicate lace dress. She looked like a real-life princess.
Even during their engagement shoot, Erin wanted to include their dogs. I was not surprised that she found a way to include them in the wedding. I loved her doggy bow tie and socks. She even had pictures of all of their pets - past, and present, at the wedding.
Like every other part of their wedding, their ceremony was special. The look on Erin's face as Crystal walked down the aisle with their son and daughter was one of the most emotional I have seen. They are a wonderful family with so much love!
These ladies have so many wonderful and talented friends, one of them played the music for their ceremony. Crystal's mother officiated the wedding ceremony. Another special touch was the photograph of Crystal's Dad on a seat in the front row.
With both the Cowell Ranch Property's rich history and the picturesque views of Monterey Bay, we didn't have to venture very far for portraits. We stuck to the beautiful barn and the adjacent fields of the organic farm, the oldest in the country.
If you ever get to meet Crystal and Erin, you will not be surprised that they have a big support group of family and friends. When I arrived early at the venue, an army of people busy unloading goods from the rental van and setting up string lights. There was also a room full of ladies working on flowers. There was a lot of DIY going on! I was blown away by their work when I came back later. They transformed the barn into a magical wedding reception venue in a matter of hours.
As I said, this wedding taught me a lot about love. I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to hear Crystal & Erin's beautiful story. When Erin came out to her southern family as LGBTQ, it went like many others have, and she ended up not speaking to them for a while. But their story had a beautiful ending with love acceptance. Now they were all here celebrating their love, in pride month, together! I was crying like a baby behind my camera.
How gorgeous is this wedding cake?! I love the trend of using real flowers on wedding cakes. This one is so colorful!
There is nothing like a live band at a reception, and Coffee Zombie Collective was awesome. There was a whole lot of dancing! Crystal and Erin dancing with their kids was so sweet. My favorite was probably Erin and her dad dancing together. Seeing the love between those two was special.
