Some couples get married and throw a party. Keri and Brian did it the other way around.
They had a son first — the most beautiful kind of reason to celebrate. And when Rowan was three years old, they finally threw the party. The whole thing. The dress, the suit, the ceremony, the dancing, the food that made everyone so happy. It all happened at Dancing Pines, on a perfect August afternoon in the Sierra Nevada.
I’ve shot a lot of weddings. This one was different in the best way! There was no nervousness about what the day would bring, because Keri and Brian already knew. They’d built a life together, raised a kid together, and now they were just telling all their favorite people about it — out loud, in the pines, with their little boy walking them down the aisle.
The Part That Got Everyone
Rowan walked with them. Both of his parents, hand in hand, and their three-year-old next to them. I don’t know how many ceremonies I’ve photographed at this point but I will not forget that one.
He had no idea what he was doing, which made it perfect. He was just walking with his mom and dad because that’s what they were doing. And everyone in those seats who’d watched this family come together got to feel that all at once.
Dancing Pines in August
If you haven’t been to Dancing Pines, here’s what you need to know: it’s a private twenty-acre property on the banks of the Little Truckee River in Sierraville, about 30 minutes north of Truckee. Tall Sierra pines. A riverside ceremony site. Total seclusion. No hotel lobby, no resort crowds — just the trees and the river and your people.
August light here is something else. The trees filter it in a way that makes every photo feel like it was planned, even when they weren’t.
Sisters Events — Madison and Emily from Sisters Event Studio — had the place looking incredible when I arrived. Every detail was ready, every table exactly right. They’re the kind of planners who make the day feel effortless because they’ve thought of everything before you had to. They had even brought details to use for the detail shots and had already set up flat lay stations for me to walk in and photograph!
The Food Was Genuinely Unforgettable
I say this as someone who has had many wedding dinners: Big Blue BBQ made people happy in a way that’s rare. This wasn’t wedding catering in the polite, forgettable sense. People went back back for more and kept talking about how good it was. I even grabbed a plate to take home that I couldn’t wait to eat!
And then, after dinner, the Smoregasm truck was firing.
Gourmet s’mores under the pines at dusk. If you’ve never encountered the Smoregasm truck at a Tahoe event, put it on the list — it’s exactly what it sounds like and it absolutely delivered.
The Dancing and the Rest of It
Cocktail hour stretched into dinner, dinner into games, games into dancing. The DJ kept the energy exactly right. And somewhere in there, Keri and Brian had their first dance — five-plus years into being a family, finally doing the thing they’d been meaning to do.
I ran into an old neighbor from Tahoe City at this one, which felt right. This is a Tahoe crowd, the kind of people who’ve been here long enough to know each other and love each other in that specific, rooted way. It made the whole day feel warm in a way that had nothing to do with August.
If You’re Getting Married at Dancing Pines
This venue is one of my favorites in the entire Truckee/Tahoe area and I mean that. The riverside ceremony site, the light through the pines, the way the whole property flows from ceremony to cocktails to dinner — it photographs beautifully and it feels beautiful, which isn’t always the same thing.
If you’re planning a wedding or elopement at Dancing Pines and looking for a photographer who knows the property and loves it, I’d genuinely love to talk. You can reach me at photographybyaubrey.com or send me a note through my contact page.
Venue: Dancing Pines, Sierraville, CA Planning: Madison & Emily — Sisters Event Studio Catering: Big Blue BBQ Dessert: Smoregasm Hair & Makeup: Jess — Wildrose Beauty Photo Booth: Juniper Booth
