Suzette & Andy: A Winter Wedding in Oregon's High Desert

I had the honor of being asked by my old friend Andy and his fiancée Suzette to photograph their wedding. It's easy to say yes when you know and love the couple.

Capturing a Longtime Friend’s High Desert Love Story

Andy was a long-time cycling buddy and mentor as I upped my riding to tackle longer distances at speed, and I distinctly remember when one time we were biking together and he mentioned that he had met this great new girl named Suzette. I saw him a lot less for rides after that!

So I was very excited that they were tying the knot, and that they asked me to be their photographer. It was also going to be a fun shoot since they were holding the day outside Bend, Oregon in the middle of the high desert, surrounded by juniper and sagebrush. While Suzette and Andy had planned a more traditional wedding than the PNW adventure elopement I typically shoot, I felt right at home in that high desert environment.

The First Look

We started out the day with a first look, which is a pretty fun tradition and makes for memorable photos. Andy stood blindfolded outside the lodge where they were holding the ceremony while Suzette crept up in her wedding dress and a vibrant green tiara made of juniper. She took off the blindfold and Andy was blown away by the bride standing in front of him.

Then we got the whole wedding party together for group photos surrounded by sagebrush.

Sagebrush, Juniper, and the High Desert Landscape

With some time still to go before the indoor ceremony, Suzette, Andy, and I headed out into the desert for some more intimate photos in natural light.

It was winter in the high desert, and the day was cold and stormy with clouds blowing east off the Oregon Cascades. The dark clouds gave the desert a really unique, brooding look and created some moody wedding photos. It also gave us absolutely stunning light in the middle of the afternoon.

The flip side was that the wind was whipping and it was pretty frigid out! Suzette’s beautiful fur shawl helped keep her warmer than her wedding dress alone, but we still moved quickly to prevent the couple from getting too cold.

Overall it was a great day celebrating with a longtime friend and his new wife!