“All Them” Robyn & Max’s Colorful Wedding at the Salida Steamplant

It doesn’t always happen this way but I almost want to write it into my contract…

Before Robyn and Max’s wedding, we met for drinks and apps. They hadn’t done an engagement session, but I still wanted to spend some time with them before the day. Because it’s a little weird to show up as a random on someone’s wedding morning, ya know?

I learned about how they met, what they loved, and the things that don’t always make it onto a questionnaire. That kind of time let me get past the obvious “Tell me about you”’s. I got a feel for their vibe, how extroverted they were, how touchy-feely they were (a good gauge for what kind of portraits we’d create on the wedding day, a lot of smoochin’ or not a lot of smoochin’).

They were drawn to more candid, documentary photos, with a heavy emphasis on being with their people. Don’t have to tell me twice! When we talked about what they were looking forward to most, their answer was, “Having all of our friends and family together in one place!” That mattered when we started planning how to spend their time.

Their own relationship began over a beer after meeting on Hinge. They weren’t immediately sure whether it was a friendship or something more. I really appreciated how they took time to figure that out. A few more dates gave them their answer, and that solid friendship became part of their romantic relationship, too.

For their summer 2025 wedding, they brought around 130 people to the Salida Steamplant in downtown Salida, Colorado. They got ready at Max’s mother’s second home in Howard, just down the road from where I grew up. Salida appealed to them for its mix of art and mountain-town life. They aren’t super outdoorsy, but their love of art? Very evident.

Max’s mother is an abstract artist, and her work was woven into the day. She made their place cards and a custom canvas for every guest, and designed the T-shirt for their reception T-shirt toss. Yes, a T-shirt toss. The bouquet and garter tosses didn’t make the cut, but that shirt did.

There were custom temporary tattoos, crocheted flowers on the tables, and childhood photos that matched the table numbers: the two of them at age one for table one. Their Lego cake topper was a nod to Max’s love of Lego. Guests painted their guestbook, and Robyn’s brother officiated the ceremony. I loved how much there was to notice, and how much of it came from the people involved. It didn’t feel like a wedding; it was Robyn and Max’s wedding. Even the cyclists passing behind their ceremony arch felt like a little piece of downtown Salida.

With all those people finally together, I wanted the photography plan to honor what Robyn and Max had told me over drinks. I helped them develop their timeline and kept family portraits organized so we could get everyone photographed without letting that part take over. That left time for more fun photos later.

Then the weather delayed the ceremony, and we needed to adjust. I helped them work out an alternate timeline on the fly so we could still make the photographs they wanted. Knowing their priorities gave us something to come back to while the schedule changed: the photos mattered, and so did the time they’d set aside to celebrate with everyone.

In their review, (bless every client that reviews their vendors) they described exactly why that organization mattered: “She was able to get all of our family formal portraits done in an organized way which freed us up to do more fun photos later in the day.” They also called me “a very calming presence” during their chaotic wedding morning, which means a lot because my goal is always to make their day better, more peaceful.

When I think about their wedding, I think about all those small ways they brought people into it: Max’s mom making art, Robyn’s brother leading the ceremony, guests adding paint to the guestbook. They wanted everyone together, and there was so much of everyone in the day.

They were with their people.