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 ...]]> 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!

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 ...]]> 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!

The ceremony was at this sweet and simple country church, Refuge Christian Church, that’s just down the road from Purgatory Golf Course where the reception was. Jenny & Evan are both teachers and during the summer, Evan stays busy with weddings and Jenny keeps all the golf players hydrated as the bartender at Purgatory. Oh, and Evan coaches high school golf and loved being ...]]> Evan and Jenny had such a great wedding day, it was a total joy to share in it. Evan is one of the fabulous DJs at DJs Direct. Jenny actually met Evan at a wedding he was working. Fast forward about two years and you have a lighthearted fun couple who’s seriously in love with each other. Both of them totally light up the room with their outgoing personalities.

The ceremony was at this sweet and simple country church, Refuge Christian Church, that’s just down the road from Purgatory Golf Course where the reception was. Jenny & Evan are both teachers and during the summer, Evan stays busy with weddings and Jenny keeps all the golf players hydrated as the bartender at Purgatory. Oh, and Evan coaches high school golf and loved being on the course in a tux. The picture of them putting, they really nailed that shot. Be impressed. All of Jenny’s co-workers were there and having a good time while running the event. Evan’s “boss” Jeremy from DJs Direct was both a groomsmen and DJ for the night. Last year this same weekend, I was photographing Jenny’s older brother JR’s wedding to Julie. (who are expecting their first little one around Christmas!) With all of that in mind, I knew this would be a fun wedding, I was not wrong. These two are hands down the best dancers I have seen. The whole dance floor was packed the whole night long. There’s so much more I could say, but I know Evan and Jenny are anxious to see some photos, so here they are… Hope you two are enjoying Mexico!!!

In the morning the ladies got glammed up at Urban Euphoria down in Greenwood. Back at the church Our Lady of Greenwood, the guys and gals got ready. Carrie and ...]]> What a wonderful wedding! Great weather, great couple, great family and friends, great venue and every detail thought of. I’ve known Carrie since back in 2002 when she became my little sis in Sigma Kappa. Many fun memories have transpired since then. Carrie and Michael just finished up rotations for med school through IU. So in the midst of moving to Alabama to start their residencies this was the perfect opportunity to get married. How Carrie managed to plan all of this wedding while doing rotations, still a bit of a mystery, but I’m sure her mom and sister helped quite a bit.

In the morning the ladies got glammed up at Urban Euphoria down in Greenwood. Back at the church Our Lady of Greenwood, the guys and gals got ready. Carrie and Michael opted to do a first look and get most of the pictures done before the ceremony. It really allowed for the rest of the day to be much more relaxed. After the full mass wedding, they headed downtown for the reception and some fun pictures at the circle. It was so gorgeous downtown! We walked from the circle to the Sheraton in time for them to enjoy their cocktail hour with their guests. (a sweet perk of seeing each other before) The reception room was beautiful as was the view from the Panorama Ballroom. As day turned to evening, everyone enjoyed celebrating with the newlyweds. Several out of town guests were at the wedding, including Carrie’s aunt from Poland. A good sign that people were enjoying themselves is when it’s midnight, everyone is tired but not eager to leave the dance floor even when the music is off and the lights are on!

Carrie and Michael honeymooned in sunny Mexico in all-inclusive relaxation style. Just yesterday they started orientation for residency, talk about a whirlwind of life changes. I can’t say much more other than Tim and I truely admire this couple and are honored to call them friends. I can’t be more happy for Carrie about finding such a great guy like Michael to spend her life with. All of our love and best wishes. We look forward to an Alabama visit in the future!

Fancy shoes.

Fabulous bridesmaids dresses. And ladies who pulled them off like rock stars.

A fake cake! (it was styrofoam) It was a huge reception 600-700, so they had massive amounts of sheet cakes. Can you even imagine how big a cake would be that would feed 700?

A precious ...]]> I wanted to share some of the things that stuck out to me as very neat or unique about weddings I shot this past year. Even though I shoot weddings over and over again, it stays fresh to me because of all the little things that couples do to make it their own, the emotions of the day, the stories of the couples, and different locations/seasons. Maybe you will find some inspiration if you are planning a wedding right now. Here’ just a few neat things to share…

Fancy shoes.

Fabulous bridesmaids dresses. And ladies who pulled them off like rock stars.

A fake cake! (it was styrofoam) It was a huge reception 600-700, so they had massive amounts of sheet cakes. Can you even imagine how big a cake would be that would feed 700?

A precious poem to the bride from mom and dad.

A best man ready for duty.

The groom’s sweet ride and getaway car. (really his)

More of that tricky cake.

A bride that made her own jewelry. (too cool Amanda!)

Cute and practical favors. Location appropriate. (Golf Resort)

Bringing back lace.

Their dads made this structure for the ceremony. What a sweet team effort.

Throwing lavendar instead of bubbles/petals/etc. It smelled amazing!

Honeymoon ready footwear.

Kelly being a featured bride in Carmel Magazine.

A very custom wedding shower gift.

Dad marrying his son. (the first of his six kids, in his old congregation)

I love flower petals! (threw red ones at our wedding)

The pre-honeymoon fridge.

Delicious food at the Hilton North.

A “wow” dress.

A cake topper statement.

Beautiful sugar flowers on the cake. (my brother’s wedding)

Bedazzeled initial cake-toppers. (my maiden name was Reid, so I was partial to the R)

Ice-sculpture.

How can Hallmark top that wedding card? Too cute.

A very fitting shot for an athletic and competitive pair.

Table cards that contained flower seeds.

A butterfly release during the recessional.

Part of the engagement story.

A little stop for some putt-putt. I’m not at all joking when I say the groom got a hole-in-one the first shot! It was his lucky day. (props to Lauren)

Hot day, cool refreshment upon leaving the church. Cold water tastes so good to me on wedding days.

A wedding/couple logo. It was spotted several places.

Unique pins chosen for each bridesmaid’s bouquet. The pig one is not offensive, it’s a 4-H/country thing.

The shoes of the twin flower girls. (nieces of the bride) They loved getting ready with the big girls at the hotel and riding in the limo!

Bridal breakfast of choice. Einstein’s bagels seen at more than one wedding this year.

The bride’s bag. Everything important to wedding day success in one bag.

A message for the bride and groom left by a creative table of guests.

They did indeed bobble and roughly resemble the couple.

Vibrant flowers, spotted at several weddings.

A custom kids activity book for the reception.

A balloon release on a beautiful day!

I just love this shot.