Zach and Avery's Wedding

I don't normally take on weddings by myself anymore (if you want to hire my partner and I, you can check out whiskylandphoto.com), but my sister's good friend was stuck a couple of months out from her special day and needing to find a new photographer as the one she had lined up wasn't going to work.  I decided to offer to do the wedding myself, and I'm so glad I did!  They had a lovely wedding set up right on her parents' beautiful property.  The weather was a smidge cold at first, but it didn't bother me since I was working.  I loved the colors and decorations they had.  It was so pretty and everything was perfect!

Congratulations to Zach and Avery!!  💕

Derek and Kate's Wedding

I am fairly behind on doing this post.  This couple has already gotten their pictures from me a while ago, but I still wanted to take the time to write down some of my memories from the day and show some of my favorite pictures.  :)

So for starters, I was SOOOO blessed to be able to take pictures for Derek and Kate's wedding!  The wedding was beautiful, and the couple is amazing!  The day started out pretty rough from some super bad storms that blew through town the night before.  There were trees down, flooding, and electricity that was out all over town.  Thankfully the locations that the bridal party needed to go to were all open and had power!

The flowers arrived just in time for pictures and they were so beautiful!

Derek and Kate didn't see each other before the wedding, and their reactions when they finally did see each other was so sweet!

They couldn't hide their happiness!  

The "exit" was done indoors due to the weather, and it still was so perfect!  :)

The wedding party had so much fun together, but they did get serious for some pictures.  :)

The bride and groom had a moment to rest after the ceremony, and they just looked so relaxed and happy!

We found a dry area outside that wasn't too windy to get some pictures of this wonderful couple!!

So I know I said earlier that there was power everywhere for this wedding, but the truth is, the reception venue was running solely off of generators.  The room was darker than usual, but there were lots of candles and small lamps everywhere which created a beautiful atmosphere.  :)

Kate and her dad surprised everyone with a choreographed dance which was very well done!

I had SO much fun spending the day with this awesome couple!  I really was so happy and blessed to be able to be their photographer! 

To Kate and Derek, I say CONGRATULATIONS!!  Thank you for letting me be a part of the best day of your lives!  I have thoroughly enjoyed witnessing your relationship grow from dating to engaged to married!  I pray that God continues to bless you both as you grow closer to Him and to each other!  :)

Jon and Mallory's Wedding

I am so glad that it worked out for me to do this wedding!  I have know Mallory for a while, but we haven't had much contact the last few years.  So I was fairly surprised when she contacted me asking if I was available to take her wedding pictures the following month.  I knew that I already had a busy weekend scheduled, but I knew that Mallory had clearly had a rough time getting a photographer, so I didn't want to let her down when she was already almost out of time.  So I said yes!

The wedding party included a lot of people that I used to hang out with a lot as well as some people I still see all the time!  I also found out that the groom's parents knew my grandma and my parents quite well which was very interesting!  We had a lot of fun doing the group pictures!

The wedding ceremony was so beautiful!  I loved the emphasis there was on God's love displayed through their marriage.

Mallory and Jon's dads are both Pastors, and so they both helped with the ceremony.

The reception was simple and classy.  I loved being able to get pictures at different levels of the building.

This was such a wonderful and beautiful day despite the frigid temperatures!  I felt so honored that I got to witness this special union!  Congratulations Jon and Mallory!

Ethan and Mary's Wedding

I am so glad that I was available for Ethan and Mary’s wedding because it gave me a wonderful opportunity to photograph and experience this beautifully unique wedding!!! I received an email just a couple weeks before their wedding stating that they were still looking for a photographer, and I was basically their last shot in the dark. They had gotten my name from a mutual friend. We met for the first time two days before the wedding. I instantly thought that they were both really neat, relaxed people, and I was so excited to get to know them better and to be a part of this very special day!! 

When I arrived at the house on Saturday, I don’t think that I was prepared for the awesomeness that I was about to witness! The amount of detail and thought that they had put into their decorations and cake were unbelievable and truly unique! I have been to lots of weddings, but I had never seen any couple break away from “traditions” in such a distinctive and beautiful way! Each centerpiece was a different tribute to a piece of literature. These pictures show just a little of the awesome decorations!

The wedding party was a very fun group of people made up of friends and siblings. Although it was sometimes tricky to get all of them within the frame of the camera, I really enjoyed working with them! 

Moments before the ceremony was to start, I caught Grandpa talking with the Groom, Ethan. I didn’t listen to what was being said, but I can only assume it was words of wisdom. 

The flower girl seemed to have a way of stealing everyone’s attention. She was absolutely adorable, and she definitely loved the attention! It was always interesting trying to get pictures of her because she generally would make silly faces if she saw the camera pointed at her.

Ethan and Mary wanted to keep the tradition of doing something that symbolized their new unity, but they didn’t like that the common ways of doing this were done with methods that aren’t actually creating unity. For example, they pointed out that pouring sand together could actually be separated again. So they decided that they wanted to use materials that would create a chemical reaction that couldn’t be undone and therefore be a true symbol of their new union. 

I love seeing the emotions between the bride and groom throughout the ceremony. It seems like there is always at least one point during the ceremony in which the gravity of what they are doing sinks in. For some couples, it’s the moment they first see each other, for others, it’s saying I do, and sometimes, it’s the moment the pastor announces them. I can say that for me, it was when I was saying my vows to my husband. And for Mary, I believe it was when she was placing that ring on Ethan’s finger.

I think my absolutely favorite part of a wedding is when the couple kisses! I love seeing the love and passion!! Ethan and Mary had so much pure joy on their faces! It was just one of those times when everyone was smiling and happy! 

These are some of my favorite pictures that really capture the beauty and emotions of such a glorious day!! :)

Congratulations Ethan and Mary! I pray that God blesses you with many years together!! Thank you for letting me be a part of this milestone in your lives!! I wish you all the best!! :)