Holy crap you guys. This wedding was freaking STUNNING. If you haven’t been able to tell by now, the forests are my love language, so shooting this wedding at a venue with this many redwoods towering over it was like being a kid in a candy store. Deer Park Villa is such a stunning hidden gem in Marin, I’m dying to go back again!

There were two things about Chelsea and Adam’s day that I really really loved: the first was what they called a “Community Circle” — they did this in conjunction with their first look which was icing on the cake! Before the ceremony, they had their closest family and friends wait in a circle with Adam in the middle; and when they were assembled, Chelsea walked over into the middle of the circle to join him. Their officiant asked their guests to share some thoughtful advice or funny stories with them, and it was so touching to watch the closest people in their lives say such meaningful things to them and about them.

The other thing that I LOVED was something they did during the ceremony to involve their guests. Their wedding rings were tied on a velvet ribbon, and at the beginning of the ceremony the officiant instructed the audience that each person would have an opportunity to touch and hold them before they were passed to the next person. The intention was for each person to bestow their love and well wishings to their marriage. It was seriously the most beautiful thing I’ve seen during a ceremony, and immediately I had thoughts of doing the same thing during my own ceremony!

I’ll stop myself there and let you check out their gorgeous day — but I dare you to tell me that looking at these photos doesn’t make you want to get married at Deer Park Villa! 😉

ps. have you checked out my post about the proposal traditions you should reconsider?? If not, you can find it here! 🙂