To say that Emma & Andy Shore Lodge dreamy fall wedding in McCall, Idaho was a dream come true for me to shoot is an understatement. It felt like fate that she found me and that other photographers were already booked by the time she reached out to me ;). I think I can speak for Emma when I say that we were like, totally meant to be. When we first Skyped and she started telling me about her dream of having a boho meets timeless/classy Idaho wedding in mid-September, I immediately fell in love with and saw her vision. And then when she started telling me about her adventures studying abroad in Italy, her absolutely perfect proposal in Switzerland, and her obsession with all things Harry Potter, I had this feeling that this girl and I could totally be friends someday.
Emma and Andy met at the least convenient time, just two weeks before Andy was graduating college and leaving Kansas for a job in Texas. However, during those two weeks they spent every free moment they could together and decided to try long distance even though they’d been together for less than a month. As all their friends said, everyone around them knew that it was either going to blow up in their faces or they would get married someday. Well! Emma finished her degree in architecture and studied abroad in Italy for a semester while Andy started his career in Texas and despite being hundreds of miles apart, they found time to visit each other on weekends and kicked long distance’s butt. Andy proposed in Switzerland and after years of being long distance, they decided to get married in McCall, Idaho. Which is both Emma and my favorite place.
The year and a half I spent working with Emma and her amazing mom planning her wedding was everything I could have dreamed of. I always tell my friends and brides that they should aim to find a photographer who speaks their love language. It felt like we shared one brain during the entire wedding planning process. Even though McCall’s spectacular Shore Lodge is an indoor venue, I promised Emma we could still take advantage of McCall’s GORGEOUS scenery and take photos all across town. We planned the day around an intimate first look shared on a vintage boat. Emma waited on the shores of Ponderosa State Park while Andy boated across Payette Lake to meet his bride. They also decided that being the extremely emotional people that they are, they wanted to share their vows privately in the forest prior to saying them in front of their 200 guests, so we found a quiet spot in the forest for them privately exchange vows. I happen to know of a secret aspen grove where we somehow managed to organize a wedding party of 20 people for group wedding party photos. And to top it off, we took sunset photos on the docks of the Shore Lodge to get the most amazing lake backdrop pics. You guys, it was truly the stuff I DREAM of when planning wedding photos!
I loved this wedding so much. I truly feel like the luckiest person in the world. My favorite thing is that once the wedding is over, it means I get to be real friends with my brides.
*vendors listed at the bottom of this post*
venue: Shore Lodge
florals: Just So Event Floral
wedding planning & coordination: McCall Weddings
dress: BHLDN
DJ: Sound Wave Events
paper goods: Roots & Rain Creative
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