After over a year of planning, the wedding day was finally here for Angel and Sean! Fall had come and the crisp breeze could be felt outside. The couple shared their vows on the grounds of the Vincennes Memorial with the banks of the Wabash just beyond.

While the groomsmen spent part of their morning setting up a tent for the bridal party to wait in, the ladies opted to stay in a heated truck until the ceremony. Colored paper globes hung from trees as guests were seated to the sound of a harp. The front row was packed full of parents and grandparents who clearly loved and supported the couple. Their receiving line was the fastest I’ve seen as everyone was eager to warm up again. Due to the chilly temperature, we quickly moved through the group photos before the wedding party loaded up for a hay ride to the reception.

Angel’s wedding planner transformed the reception hall to an elegant autumn gathering space. The rest of the evening was full of laughter, tears, joy, and dancing as family and friends celebrated this milestone for Angel and Sean. Congrats you two!

This Saturday I had the privilege of photographing Haley and Dan’s beautiful Country Chic wedding about an hour south of Indianapolis. I love this story!

The wedding took place on the bride’s family farm. The century-old brick farmhouse, which used to be owned by Haley’s Grandparents, was alive with activity as Haley got ready in her own bedroom. Downstairs, her aunt finished the bouquets, her mom fed people a great lunch, her dad altered a shoe for a bridesmaid, and lots of people were setting up outside.

Dan, who grew up only a few miles down the road, came over with his guys to see his bride. When Hayley was ready, she came down her front stairs to see Dan, as she had done many times before – only this time on their wedding day.

Hundreds of people flooded in and the line to sign the guest book was out to the road. As the ceremony neared, Hayley and her bridesmaids arrived by horse-drawn carriage from a neighbor’s. Then on the front porch, she shared her vows with Dan before a few hundred of their family and friends. The coolest part of the story is that Haley’s Mother and Aunts also got married on the very same porch!

The reception was full of personal touches. The food was delicious and included beef from the family farm and fresh sweet corn that they had grown. On the tables were these fantastic shortbread cookies filled with raspberry jam and orange marmalade that someone spent lots of time on.

Their favors were these adorable seed bags that had their last name on the front and were filled with candy corn! Wedding pictures of their parents and grandparents were displayed behind the cake table. Cider, roasted nuts, a special groom’s cake, wine from the winery Hayley manages and hydrangeas on the tables with bittersweet rounded out the fall theme.

The entire day was evidence of the love and talents of family and friends and their desire for Hayley and Dan to truly have a special day!

Last week this time I had the opportunity to shoot with my good friend Kiera at Kirsten and Drew’s wedding up at Gun Lake in Michigan. I really enjoyed the roadtrip time with Kiera (we never turned the music on because we were so busy chatting) and loved being a second shooter for the day. It’s nice to have the flexibility to try some new things that you might not normally have time for on a wedding day. The day couldn’t have been prettier, maybe cooler, but not prettier. Everything was out by the lake, ceremony and reception. During the cocktail hour the wedding party took a boat trip together and made a grand entrance off the dock! It was such a pleasure to work with Kirsten and Drew and their great families.

I met Christina in the UP of Michigan the summer after I graduated college at InterVarsity‘s training center Cedar Campus. Christina met Jake during a scavenger hunt with friends at IU. Jake went south for Grad School, while Christina began her math teaching career in Hammond. Finally, they are together in the same place again, now as man and wife. They had so many personal touches to their wedding. Jake’s home church St. Vincent De Paul was absolutely gorgeous. After the wedding and before the dinner reception we had time for pictures at the Rose Gardens in downtown Ft. Wayne, a photographer’s dream location. The reception was full of fun details, polka dots (her maiden name is Polka, seemed quite fitting), customized word games for guests, and a very unique glow in the dark entrance to mention a few. It really was a great celebration of their two lives joining together. Christina LOVES photography and is quite good herself and I know she can’t wait to see a peek of the pictures. Thanks for your patience, I hope you two had a fabulous week away together!

What a glorious wedding day Lauren and Shawn had. It was so pleasant, full of sunshine, a sweet couple, loving friends and family. Lauren is the the youngest of three sisters so her family totally had the wedding thing under control. Every thing was thought of, everyone was taken care of. After a short engagement they got married in the stunning White Chapel on Rose Hulman‘s campus in Terre Haute. The ceremony was sweet, personal and gave all the glory to God. After the ceremony we enjoyed the beautiful weather while we took some pictures. The reception at Idle Creek was full of beautiful details, good food and conversation. The newlyweds took off for their honeymoon, which was a surprise to Lauren! I hope you guys are enjoying your last few days in Mexico! All our love and best wishes for a wonderful life together.