Eric and Emmalinda’s love story is one we’re sure their grandkids and great-grandkids will love to retell, because it’s simply so sweet. They actually met as teenagers at a Unitarian Universalist youth conference, and they hit it off right away with an instant pull to each other, but after that weekend, they didn’t stay in touch and actually did not see each other again for seven years! They eventually reconnected through a church young adult group in LA, and became summer camp counselors together and one day, Eric said, “Can I just tell you all the things I find really attractive about you?” and clearly things have gone pretty well from that point.

We first met Eric and Emmalinda a few months ago, and right away we knew there was a spiritual connection there – they are just such amazing, good people. We laughed over our shared love of pizza + beer (in fact, if we remember correctly – we happened to both be eating + drinking that meal the night we had our first Skype date!). Once we shot their engagement session, we looked forward to their wedding so much because we knew that for two people as amazing as these two are – their friends and family had to be of equal awesomeness … and we were certainly not let down!

Their wedding at Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga Canyon was one of the most magical weddings we’ve ever attended; Emma + Sarah with First Pick Planning did a phenomenal job of bringing their vision to life. Every wedding is beautiful in its own way, and this one will always stand out to us as a wedding that was all about love and family. Each person there was so genuinely ecstatic for Emmalinda and Eric, and we absolutely adore each of their families.

This wedding had quite a few unique aspects to it that we’d be remiss not to share –

• Most of the details were DIY. From the bouquets and floral crowns made by Emmalinda’s mom, to the awesome signage (how much do we LOVE their dance floor sign?!) and invitations – everything was made by the two of them and their families.
• They had a DIY floral crown station!! They asked their guests to bring flowers (from their gardens, if they had any!) and nearly all of their 300 guests brought garden and store-bought flowers. We loved the guest who put the flowers in his beard!
• Emmalinda wore her grandmother’s necklace, and it has special significance in her family. Her grandfather served overseas in the military, and would send home a small stipend when he could to go toward buying a nice set of silver, but her grandmother decided to buy herself a beautiful necklace with it instead, and it’s now become a treasured family heirloom.
• They used Emmalinda’s grandfather’s naval saber to cut their cake – something everyone who has gotten married in her family has done!
• Emmalinda’s ring is literally made of the moon and stars! Foregoing the traditional bridal diamond, Emmalinda’s ring is made out of an actual moon rock and two fragments of a meteor that crashed to the earth in the Sahara desert a thousand years ago.
• During the ceremony, they smashed a clock. This part of their wedding ceremony was a nod to the Jewish tradition of breaking glass, and was symbolic of their covenant with each other that “we have time.”
• They also had food stations set up for all different taste preferences – Asian, Mexican, Italian and a delicious dessert table of all kinds of tasty treats! It was very casual dining, all afternoon!
• Emmalinda’s dad hand carved a beautiful wooden box for them to seal their vows in, along with a bottle of wine from the winery where they announced their engagement to their family, and the clock hands from their clock smashing ceremony. They sealed the box during their ceremony, and will open it on their 10 year anniversary. Super romantic, isn’t it??

We are so excited to be sharing our favorite images from their wedding today, and we are so honored to have been there to witness the joining of two amazing families!

Emma + Eric had an amazing team of vendors come together for this event. Check them out!

Vendor Love

venue | Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum

coordinator | Emma Seitz, First Pick Planning

assistant day-of coordinator | Sara Bond, First Pick Planning

bridal gown | Shareen Bridal

groom’s suit | Men’s Wearhouse

makeup | Hillary Joy Cole

hair stylist | Anayelli Tovar, Bigoudi International Salon

musicians | David Dieckmann, Scott Fitzpatrick, Benny Harnish, Wendysue Rosloff, Mike Worley, Lauren T. Mack

officiant | Lauren Way

wedding cake | A Twist of Cake

catering + dessert table | Layne Catering

jewelry | Weiss Jewelry

signage, invitations + florals | DIY

Are you looking for a wedding photographer in Southern California?

Hey there, I am Ashley Durham, a western Arizona wedding photographer specializing in unposed, authentic and romantic intimate weddings that capture the love, fun and realness of couples and wedding days.

I am happy to serve couples from Lake Havasu, Bullhead City, Prescott, Kingman, Skull Valley all the way to Palm Springs, Southern California and anywhere I can drive or fly. Are you ready to have an incredible time together for your wedding?? DM me!!