I got to shoot such a sweet wedding in Lake Arrowhead for the first time! It was at a beautiful venue called Miller’s Landing along one of the main roads on the mountain. First impressions of Miller’s Landing: would definitely love shoot here again!! I love that this venue is small yet has variety, provides multiple spaces for your wedding day needs, and it is so pretty. I got to meet the owner who was so welcoming, and it was very evident how involved she is. I found her working hard in the middle of the day to make sure everything was perfect for the wedding. Let’s talk about this venue.
First off, Olivia and Liam’s wedding was too much fun. These two are constantly laughing with each other and their friends. Photographing them with their bridesmaids and groomsmen felt like I was crashing such a party, and they were all so fun. The girls hung out in Miller’s bridal suite and the guys were in the groom’s lounge, but after the first looks, a lot of them ended up hanging out together in the groom’s lounge.
The bridal suite had three rooms — one main common area (which was SO cute and had a great place for bridesmaid dresses), a getting ready area with a patio/greenhouse, and another side room with plenty of mirrors for multiple bridesmaids to get ready at. It also had a bathroom and changing room. They seriously thought of everything. The groom’s lounge was super chill. There was a TV and the guys ended up doing some sort of Nintendo Switch tournament, a pool table, bathrooms, and a changing room.
As a photographer, my favorite part of these spaces was that these two areas were just a few steps away from other so I could pop back and forth for various photo needs or communicating with the bride or groom.
We did multiple first looks at this wedding, which was so fun. Always check with your photographer about how much time you will need to allot if you want to do a first look, especially if you’re doing one for your bridesmaids, groomsmen, groom, and parents. Each happened in a different spot, which is one thing I loved about Miller’s Landing. There were plenty of spots around the property to choose from for lighting’s sake, but also for the variety.
Olivia and I set aside the perfect amount of time to get shots of these moments without being rushed. We set aside the most time, of course, for her and Liam to exchange private vows and so that we could all cry. Just kidding…kind of. I was beaming their entire first look. It was super emotional and joyful.
The ceremony happened up on the lawn with a stunning arbor with the trees as a backdrop. After that, guests hung out on the patio for cocktail hour before heading into the barn. All of these locations were the perfect distance from each other. Some venues require a bit of a walk or hike to get from one spot to another, but this venue allowed separation from each spot, while still being really close to each other. Love that!
This Lake Arrowhead venue is a win. There’s shaded areas during warm days in July to cool off in, and we also got a breeze for some of the day. I am sure this would be the perfect spot for a Fall or Spring wedding, too, with perfect weather.
The ceremony was the perfect length, reflecting on how marriage is a picture of Jesus and His bride, the church. After the ceremony, the party got started and the two families partied hard on the dance floor. So. much. fun. We played with some fun flash photos and even some double exposure. After Olivia and Liam’s last dance, they ran off to their honeymoon with a bubble exit. I love bubbles—they make for such fun photos because they reflect the light with fun colors.
Shoutout to Alie McRoskey (ig: @soireeswithgrace) for coordinating this wedding so well, and to Lorenzo for doing a fantastic job as DJ (ig: @lega_z). The florals were a stunning work of art by Monica at Bloomie Creations LLC (ig: @bloomiecreations).
Thank you to the Payne and Buchan family for having me for the day to capture your celebration—you were SO welcoming. To Olivia and Liam, you’re a joy. That is all.
