Lexi & Miles // Thousand Oaks Backyard Wedding

Lexi and I met in high school through mutual friends, and have known each other for about 10 years now! After graduating college, Lexi wanted a change of scenery, and decided to live abroad for a while. Australia seemed like a wonderful place to work & live for a year or two, so she packed her bags & made the big move. During her time in Sydney, I was able to visit her & see how incredible Australia was & how absolutely perfect it seemed for my gal. She glowed with a light I hadn't often seen before, made amazing friends, and seemed to fit right in.

Well, soon after my visit, Lexi met Miles. When I heard about this mythical Aussie man, I knew that 1) he was a foot taller than Lexi 2) he was a talented DJ and 3) he was handsome as heck. Lexi and Miles quickly fell for one another while working at the same bar, but eventually, Lexi's time in Australia came to an end. After moving back to the US, the couple endured dual-hemisphere long distance, always counting down the days until their next visit. Flying 7,500 miles for love, Miles came to visit often and eventually Lexi decided to return to Australia for another 6 months! In their time on the same continent once again, their relationship only strengthened, and when Lexi moved back home, Miles quickly made plans to come to the US & stay for a while. Unfortunately, shortly after he arrived, COVID hit and Australia required all citizens to return home. Lexi and Miles were totally devastated, and Miles had no choice but to head back.

147 days later... The couple fiNalLy found a way to get Miles back to the US, and he grabbed the first flight to Los Angeles. He wasted absolutely no time, and proposed to Lexi that same week at the beach!! They knew they wanted to be together, and after jumping through 500 hoops, they were finally engaged.

What happened next was an epic display of love & community unlike any I'd seen before—the couple was too overwhelmed to figure out details of how + when to get married, so Lexi's best friends and immediately family took the reigns and planned a perfect backyard wedding in just 3 weeks. ASOS provided the wedding attire, Lexi's dad re-did half the yard to host the ceremony and reception, Lexi's best girlfriends did her makeup and hair, and her best buddy Matt officiated. It was an incredible labor of love, and after getting a "hey, what are you doing next weekend" text from Matt, I was so excited to take photos and be a part of the celebration.

The wedding day was stunningly idyllic, incredibly relaxed (besides Miles, who was so nervous he couldn't eat or sleep), inexplicably love-filled, and deeply intentional. Lexi walked down the aisle to "Here Comes The Sun," (after 5 minutes of continued attempts to get the Bluetooth speakers to work and a LOT of ice breaking, hilarious laughter). Miles glowed like a disco ball when he saw his bride for the first time, which resulted in some of my favorite photos from the whole day. Matt knocked the officiating out of the park, and painted such a sweet + funny + honest picture of the couple's journey together. Lexi and Miles shared personal vows... which BOTH began with the same sentiment about Miles making Lexi tea in the morning, and it being lukewarm or cold by the time she drinks it. They couldn't be more in sync and their ceremony was intimate, succinct, and beautiful.

As I looked around during the couple's ceremony, I felt so honored to be one of the dozen people present in person watching Lexi and Miles become husband and wife. Everyone went out of their way to get covid tests to ensure the safety and comfort of all guests, including Lexi's 3 grandparents. Watching these 3 during the wedding was particularly emotional—her grandmother exhibited such a deep excitement to be watching her granddaughter get married.. alternating between smiles, tears, and awe. One grandfather beamed with pure joy the entire time, while the other recorded every moment on video. I only cried three times, thanks for asking.

On a Zoom call FILLED with family & friends from all over the world, dozens of the couple's favorite people got to be a part of the festivities from afar. Miles' family unfortunately couldn't leave Australia to come to the wedding, but they proudly (and loudly) celebrated on Zoom, and even got to have a virtual dance party with Miles during the reception.

After their ceremony, the fun began. We took family photos, pictures with all of Lexi & Miles' friends in attendance, and then drove off into the sunset *literally* to take photos at a nearby park with beautiful landscape views.

When it was just the three of us, I saw the reality of being MARRIED slowly sink in between the couple. They were so relieved to have the *formalities* behind them, and excited to just hang out. We ran around, laughed our faces off, and captured the newlyweds among the mountains as the sun set. It was pretty freakin' perfect, and I again, felt SO lucky to be there with the two of them. Seeing Lexi so completely happy & wildly in love was a joy I can't really explain.

After we finished taking pictures, we headed back to the house where I got the opportunity to play DJ and loudly introduce the new Mr. & Mrs. for the first time. A new group of friends had joined the party, and they were so stoked to see the bride and groom as they entered. Everyone gathered and cheered as the couple shared a first dance, which was followed by a legendary dinner of tacos and a slew of hilarious & wonderful speeches.

When the dancing began, (boy oh boy is the music epic when you're at a DJ's wedding!) everyone basked in the joy of togetherness, and partied the night away. Safely gathering is so challenging these days, and it was clear just how cherished this evening was for the couple and everyone who loves them. What an honor to just observe it all.

Sharing this day with Lexi, Miles, old & new friends, and Lexi's family was something I know I'll always treasure. In a time where there is so much darkness, this day was the brightest light.

Lexi & Miles—I wish you a life full of laughter, the best music, adventure, love, Topper’s pizzas, and lots of lukewarm morning tea. I couldn't love you more. Congratulations.