This intimate meadow wedding was a special one! Ive known Molly, the beautiful bride for over 7 years now! We moved out to Los Angeles relatively around the same time and have always connected over how were both from Minnesota. So when she reached out to me to photograph her wedding I of course said yes!
Molly and Brian wanted a small and “somewhat off-grid” wedding ceremony. So I made sure that we location scouted a couple of times before the wedding as I wanted to show them different areas all around Malibu that I thought would fit the vibe they were looking for. They initially loved the idea of getting married on the beach but as it got closer to their wedding date we decided to choose their second favorite location as it had more privacy, a grassy meadow.
Meadow Wedding Ceremony Location
I actually really loved the idea of Molly and Brian having their intimate wedding in a meadow as it was the perfect spot for a mid-day ceremony since there weren’t any people around. Even though the location changed, Molly kept things to her original vision of keeping things small, intimate, and “somewhat off-grid.”
Many times, small weddings can balloon into big weddings as things get closer and pressure from friends and family increases, but they kept things true to what they originally set out to do!
Meadow Wedding Itinerary
We started the day off in the early afternoon on a May spring day for their portrait session at the grassy meadows in Malibu where we captured photos of Molly in her stunning lace high-neck wedding dress and Brian in an all-black kilt that commemorated his mom. Brian wanted to commemorate his mom in some way, and from the very beginning, he wanted to wear a kilt. As soon as family members started trickling they began the ceremony underneath the trees, where they exchanged their vows and rings. As soon as they had their first kiss to signify the start of forever together we captured some photos of their family and them celebrating.
Intimate Wedding Reception
A couple of hours after Molly and Brian’s intimate meadow wedding they had a casual reception in downtown LA. They served tacos and drinks and had a spread of doughnuts. Along with a live band that played that really added to the atmosphere. One of my favorite parts of the reception was the temporary tattoos of Molly and Brian’s faces that guests were putting on, it was such a fun and unique touch to their wedding!
Molly and Brian’s wedding is a great example of an intimate and simple ceremony, they didn’t have an arch, chairs, or floral arrangements. Their ceremony was completely free other than the permit! This is an inspiration to anyone who wants an intimate wedding as well as a casual reception afterward. There were no formalities such as speeches, special dances, or even cake cutting. All their friends and family that came to the reception hung out for the evening to be with the couple and celebrate them.
Thinking about planning an intimate wedding but need more inspiration? Check out Nicole & Robert’s Malibu Beach Elopement with Horses!
Ready to plan your own wedding or elopement? Contact me through my contact page to book!
