john & audrey, a coastal microwedding on the cliffs of Mendocino

this was plan c, with a tidy plan d readily waiting in the back pocket. of course we’ve all parted with the elusive plan a in the dredges (and beautiful parts) of 2020. but when plan b burned down in the California wildfires, we found ourselves quite north in sleepy Mendocino. and that marine layer healed us all, alive and whole. salt air for deep breaths and gentle fog for weary eyes.

and when I left, I knew them. I knew Allison, I knew Angela. I knew Anthony and Aretha. I knew the mothers and the fathers, and the story of how the grandfather had found the groom’s ring on a walk. And the fateful midnight crossing that brought Audrey and John together. I knew Pepper and Beau. And I saw their lives so rich and full and their joy in abundance while the world was on pause. as soon as we arrived, we were welcomed wholeheartedly, introduced individually to each person there, embraced as family.

here on coastal cliffs, beneath leaning Eucalyptus trees, two became one.