Outside of Kettle Falls, Washington, at Shanti’s folks’ peach orchard. Three years ago Shanti and Heath eloped at the Santa Fe courthouse. So the wedding photographed here, or celebration I should say, wasn’t so much about Shanti and Heath as it was about their family and friends; a chance to celebrate together.

On the outskirts of a tiny town, the vibe was communal like a barn raising: table butter hand churned by a friend, hundreds of paper cranes folded, a local brew served in mason jars with name tags. I marveled at the details, not because they were ornate but because they were pitch-perfect. Like the basket of work gloves sitting on the porch, which Shanti admitted were just work gloves that always sat on the porch. I found myself constantly smiling. The celebration didn’t feel like a show–it just felt like Shanti and Heath, family, and friends.