Bridgette & Ryan | Forest House Lodge | Northern California Wedding Photography

A mile up the road from the lodge, we made the right turn. We wound down a short gravel road as the dust kicked up and painted golden beams of sunlight in the air. At the end of the path, a clearing– a spectacular clearing, with a canyon full of evergreens lit in the background. This would be the perfect setting for Bridgette and Ryan’s wedding. A couple years ago, they left their jobs (where they had met) in Michigan, packed up a sedan, and embarked on their new life’s adventure in San Francisco. And now, their friends and families would get to join them in their new home state, surrounded by rustic charm of the Sierras, to see them onto the next leg of their journey together. It was a charming and intimate celebration of friendship, affection, and love.

The Forest House Lodge is a wonderful wedding venue located halfway between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, so it was a bit of a trek from San Francisco, but completely worth the drive.

There were so many sweet and tender moments between Bridgette and her mom.

Bridgette’s “something borrowed,” a cute sequined purse.

A gray manicure for Bridgette and coral nails for her two bridesmaids.

I love the oversized succulents. And Ryan’s nephew was so cute with his bubbles.

A very good-looking wedding party!

Many thanks to my intern Rosa who not only drove us the 2.5 hours to this wedding site (east of Sacramento), but also shot a few extra angles throughout the wedding day. Below, my angle on the left, hers on the right!

Like a cake topper!

I was so obsessed with this gorgeous light streaming through the trees. With the dust kicked up from the gravel road, the sunbeams were just like magic.

Love.

Then we headed back to the Forest House Lodge for cocktail hour on the back patio.

The wedding was simple and intimate, with only about 30 guests, but it was perfectly fitting.

Some funny photojournalistic moments from toasts.

And then they danced the night away!

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Finally, a lovely ring shot. Love all the details… and that metal bar running through the middle is the number “1” from Bridgette and Ryan’s collection of table numbers.

Congratulations, Bridgette & Ryan! I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of your special wedding day out in the California mountains. Thank you again to Rosa for all your help on this wedding!

Wedding Vendors:

Venue, Catering, and Cake: Forest House Lodge, Foresthill, California
Hair: Jennifer Schroer, The Light Fantastic Salonspa
Makeup: Nikol Elaine Makeup Artistry
Florist: Tracy Gibbons, Budding Events, Sacramento, California
Dress: Essence of Australia
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Bill Levkoff, pewter
DJ: Greg, SJ’s Disc Jockey
Photographer: Anna Wu Photography

Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Contact her to book your own wedding or portrait session today.