Blackbird Boulevard Photography: 2014

When I heard I was going to shoot a wedding at Burning Man I bounced about my studio excitedly and in disbelief.

As a wedding photographer who is drawn towards the creative and alternative side of life, I adore unique weddings and this wedding couldn't have been more unique!

(For those who aren't familiar, Burning Man is a festival held every year in the Nevada Desert. It is founded on the principles of self expression, self reliance, creativity and community. To date 60,000 people make the annual pilgrimage)

If you want to check out more on it have a look here: www.burningman.org

Upon meeting Andrew & Jeri you get the sense that they aren't an average couple.

They are instead a pair of really inspiring souls who put so much passion into everything they do, whilst omitting joy and warmth to those in their atmosphere.

Jeri had put so much loving attention into the details of the wedding, from her bouquet being made up of trinkets gifted to her over the years to the Scottish traditions within the wedding to her head dress being made to resemble swarming bees, (bee keeping being one of many strings on Jeri’s bow).
I could have done a whole blog post on just the bouquet!

Jeri & The Dude discuss the finer details of Scotch Eggs before they head off to get ready

Jeri got ready with the excitement of a ten year old girl on her way to meet her summer crush, the boy next door, for some ice cream.

Then all of a sudden it was time. The ride arrived to deliver Jeri to wed her Scottish Austin Powers.

Jeri being The Bug Lady, meant all the bumblies from Bee Camp (There are hundreds of themed camps at Burning Man you see, from Barbie death camp to Camp Camp Camp to Bee Camp) came out to buzz in unison at Jeri's arrival and then sit like royal subjects in awe of their queen.

Then just when I thought this wedding couldn’t get any better,
Rev. Billy, the celebrant of the wedding started doing his thing.

When I asked Rev. Billy to describe himself and what he did later in the night, he had no tangible answer for me. I’ll simply say he’s a really cool dude doing really cool stuff in the world.

Here will give you more answers: http://www.revbilly.com/

To say it was crowded is an understatement.

Although I thought to myself later, how didn't I expect there to be? 60,000 people were invited and Andrew & Jeri are pure Burning Man VIP’S (...Oh had I not mentioned? Andrew is the artist behind the Man every year! Yeah... he is that cool!)

Then it came to Jeri and Andrew’s 13 year old daughter’s time to say their self written vowes to each other, as sisters, thus forming the family anew.

The beautiful sisters spoke with such grace, confidence and meaning that I’m welling up remembering it right now.

"Everyone on the Playa knows about this ring but me" Jerry cried

Then she saw it.....

..... And just when everyone thought it was over..

FIREWORKS AND CHAMPAGNE FOR ALL!!!!

I had heard about this ring before I had even met Andrew & Jeri...it was the talk of my camp, so I had to ask immediately what its story was when Jeri was out of ear shot that morning.

Andrew explained that Jeri didn’t have a love for diamonds so he knew no ordinary wedding ring would do. He would have to design the ring himself, and it would have to be out of this world.

Andrew then placed the ring in my hand and said excitedly, ‘Guess what the stone is made from!’

After several incorrect guesses Andrew told me what I was holding was a piece of the moon.

Not in any airy fairy ‘Your holding my heart’ kind of way, ACTUAL MOON ROCK! Taken from a meteorite which landed... somewhere….and a small section of it was transported to Andrew to add it to his design. AN ACTUAL PIECE OF THE MOON! Now that's love!