Jug Handle Creek Farm Wedding

I spent an incredible weekend documenting Jared and Mike’s Jug Handle Creek Farm Wedding in breezy Mendocino, CA. It was an a sun-soaked, hug-filled, DIY, eco-friendly same sex wedding celebration.

Jared and Mike wanted their Jug Handle Creek Farm wedding to be a big reunion. There were a couple dozen children running around. Definitely the highest kid-to-adult ratio I’ve ever seen! The itinerary included daily yoga sessions, game night, beer and crafting, as well as “Nerd Talks”. Friends shared 10-minute speeches about interesting topics. Everyone contributed. It was DIY to the max. Everyone participated. Everyone contributed.

Laura, a close friend of the grooms, officiated the ceremony. It was so great to reconnect with her and her wife Emily, whose Cornerstone Sonoma wedding I documented five years ago.

Jug Handle Creek Farm Wedding Highlights

A few highlights: The grooms had custom-made corseted waistcoats, artisan boutonnieres, and different-colored Converse shoes. Guests had to traverse a wooden bridge to get to the ceremony. They were bathed in sage smoke as they passed. The ceremony was full of music and meaning. The grooms included “respect for the natural world” in their vows; it aligned perfectly with the venue they had chosen. There was pizza and beer and Krispy Kreme donuts! The delicious wood fired pizza was made fresh on site by Huria’s.

After the wedding ceremony, the adults helped kids with crafting and mingled in the meadow. Nerd Talks and a few warm speeches followed.

I watched the sun begin to drop behind the trees and saw that “magic hour” was at hand. The grooms and I ventured out of the meadow to take some sun-soaked portraits. Then we walked towards the bluffs and immersed ourselves in the beautiful sunset.

When we returned to the meadow, a bonfire was already lit. Many guests gathered around the fire pit to socialize, sing, make s’mores and watch the flames.