Winchester Vista Estate in Meadow Vista, CA | Edreann & Dakota

Some weddings are worth the drive. This one was worth every mile. As a team, we packed up and traveled out of the Bay Area for this one. Winchester Estate in Meadow Vista, CA, is about 3 hours each way, so the night before the wedding we made the trip up and stayed at the Sierra Vista Hotel. We wanted to show up rested and fully present, not running on fumes from a long drive. When a couple has waited this long for their day, they deserve a team that's ready to give them everything.

Edreann and Dakota have been together for 15 beautiful years. Their families and friends have witnessed the evolution of their love since the very beginning. On their wedding day, they experienced an enormous amount of support and love.

We started the day at the venue for the getting-ready portion. The bridal suite and groom suite gave us so much flexibility to work with: soft light, open space, room to breathe. Nothing about the morning felt rushed. Edreann and Dakota trusted us completely, from planning their first look to figuring out the perfect spot for their private vows, to guiding every portrait session that followed. They valued family photos, their wedding party, and newlywed portraits. We led the way so they could just enjoy being present. Dakota stood with his best friends and siblings by his side. Edreann had hers too. Two wedding parties full of the people who've watched this love story unfold for a decade and a half.

This wasn’t a part of the original plan, but we also brought in some drone photography for the day, used carefully and never intrusively. Edreann and Dakota gave us the green light, and we used it to capture the estate as a whole and to show the scale of the ceremony itself, especially the moment of Edreann walking down the aisle. Some moments just call for a wider view.

The energy all day stayed calm, collected, and flowy. Nothing felt forced. And then came one of the biggest surprises of the day. During the ceremony, Edreann and Dakota shared something with their families and friends that no one knew: they'd actually been married for 5 years already. The reaction was perfect for them. Everyone cried, cheered, laughed, all at once. This wedding was about bringing everyone they love into one place to celebrate a bond that was built on a strong foundation. Dakota wanted to give Edreann the wedding of her dreams without holding anything back.

One of our favorite parts of this experience was the beer burros. A mini highland cow named Moochelada and a donkey named Paloma showed up as a surprise for guests, and it was pure joy. The kids especially overly excited. Naturally, we got Edreann and Dakota some fun portraits with the four-legged guests too.

The reception brought speech after speech that had everyone in their feelings. Parents, siblings, the maid of honor, the best man, all sharing stories that spanned from childhood memories to the life Edreann and Dakota have built as adults. 15 years gives you a lot of ground to cover, and you could feel the pride in every single word.

All the energy from the day built up to the dance floor. There was no cooling off once it got going. The DJ kept the transitions so clean that guests were cheering every new song before the first verse even hit. Dakota's grandma, almost 100 years old, was out there dancing all night, which might have been the sweetest moment of the entire reception. Edreann never left the floor either. Guests kept bringing her water and snacks just to keep her fueled because she was not stopping for anything.

This wedding was a reminder of what 15 years of choosing each other looks like. Congratulations, Edreann and Dakota. We are so grateful we got to be part of this one.