Liz and Kyle are seriously cool. For starters, they are constantly chill and happy and loving towards everyone around them. They also gave us a ton of time for portraits, which included a moment when Liz asked (THE BRIDE ASKED!) if she could lay down on the ground, in her dress, all for the sake of an awesome shot. They’re also both all sorts of talented, and put on a guitar performance for all their guests at the reception, followed by a surprise song Kyle performed for Liz :)

I was also especially excited to shoot their wedding because it took place at the Higashi Honganji Temple in Little Tokyo, a place I used to frequent twice a week for taiko practice. It was so wonderful witnessing a beautiful Buddhist ceremony inside the gold-laden temple, and seeing so many of the other cultural elements Liz & Kyle tied into their wedding!

I could see it from our first meeting over cucumber mint lemonades… the way Craig looks at Myesha. And Myesha looks at Craig. There is so much love between these two. Expressed in a bouquet of white roses delivered to Myesha that morning, a tearful first look, heartfelt vows (and a fist bump!) during the ceremony. They met 4 years ago while both working on the Obama campaign, and it seems to be fitting that they’re getting married just when elections are rolling around again :)

Both Myesha and Craig are full of style {as evidenced by their engagement session!} and I adored the urban elegance and bright colors that filled this day. They also incorporated bits of Myesha’s Jamaican heritage into the wedding, with little jars of rum as favors and a cake that was brought in straight from Jamaica!

A special thank you to Emily at Cafe Pinot and Alex of Sterling Engagements for taking such wonderful care of us and ensuring the day flowed perfectly – good coordinators make all the difference!

How dreamy is this wedding? Especially since so much of it was lovingly DIY-ed by Liv and Greg! Please brace yourself for this impressive DIY list – with a little help from family and friends, they assembled the bouquets, arranged the gorgeous centerpieces, baked + iced + decorated the cake (which was carrot, and banana, and DELICIOUS!) – Liv even hand-dyed some of the bridesmaids’ dresses to match the soft pink palette.

All the personal touches lent themselves perfectly to this kind of wedding – the kind filled with a relaxed, cozy kind of love, the kind celebrating two people who are amazing as individuals, but even better together. The day ended with lots of dancing, a crackling fire, and the making of s’mores. Perfection.