Paige + Andrew by Sydney Noelle - Together Journal - Weddings - Wedding Photography

Paige ——We’re both small business owners from Southern California. I’ve spent the last decade as a destination wedding photographer, while Andrew owns a custom furniture business. We met on Match in 2012. Andrew didn’t actually show up in my matches but I was browsing profiles and stumbled across him. It was his chocolate lab, Yager, that prompted me to send the first message.

I wanted to date someone who had a dog and we credit Yager for getting us together.Andrew has been my best friend since we met, and you should definitely always marry your best friend! I booked an intimate wedding in Tuscany in 2018. It would be our first trip to Europe together. Because I take photos of other couples for a living, it’s always been important to me to have our own photos professionally taken every year

I hired a photographer to document us while visiting the Amalfi Coast and Andrew started talking to him in secret. I had no idea Andrew was even shopping for a ring at the time. At the end of our photo shoot, he proposed at sunset at a castle with panoramic views of the ocean and our favorite song playing in the background. Both of us were literally speechless. I don’t remember saying yes but gave him the biggest hug of my life.

We originally planned to have an intimate wedding in Italy with 40 guests, but like so many other couples, 2020 threw a wrench into our plans. We postponed for a year in the hopes the world would open back up, but as the date grew closer, we decided the continued restrictions would put too much pressure on our guests. So we kept our Italian vendors booked and eloped to Sicily with my sister and her husband and rolled it into our honeymoon.

Two months later…

We celebrated in Palm Desert with our closest friends and family.

We had a second ceremony there and signed the ‘official’ marriage paperwork. For both events, my vision was one of effortless minimalism with a laidback, luxe feel. To achieve this, every detail was intentional and curated to complement the existing atmosphere of the space. As a wedding photographer, I see a lot of trends come and go and items go to waste. I invested in a timeless wardrobe, quality stationery, and keepsakes to reuse.

By chance, I stumbled across a photo of Luna Bea’s La Lune gown in French Vogue and fell in love. It was the embodiment of every dress detail I wanted. However, at the time, everything was only made to order by the UK-based designer, with no stockists in the US.

I would have had to buy the dress without trying it on, which made me nervous. Then by some miracle, Loho Bride announced a pop-up show featuring Luna Bea. I booked an appointment immediately, tried on a dress that was five sizes too big for me, and bought it the next day! And my husband’s last name is Greene, so we always knew he would end up wearing a green suit!