I always make a huge effort to get to know my couples especially before their weddings. This time around it was no effort at all. I met Sarah and Mike through my husband, years ago. When we lived in Maryland, they were in Virgina and we were able to finally meet up more often! During that time, I came became their personal photographer. Every time one of us had an idea, we would message the other and meet up for another photoshoot. I even shot their Mountaintop proposal in Shenandoah! So when they asked me to shoot their wedding, it was a no brainer!
The wedding day started out at a beautiful rental home The Maybee Mansion. It is an absolutely beautifully restored 1919 Craftsman home in Chillicothe, MO. I was mesmerized by all the hardwood- it's my weakness. I was able to use the wooden door frames, the beautiful wooden entry, and even just the floors to do plenty of detail photos before everyone got ready for the day. We even did a few "before the gown" shots (for the grooms eyes only)!
The wedding took place at a farm that has been in the grooms family for generations. Acres of golden farmland stood as a backdrop for both the ceremony and the majority of our shooting. Straight away the groom picked me up and trekked me through muddy creeks and all to gator our way to one of the fields for the photos of the grooms side. I've rarely seen any of the groomsman or the groom without a beer in their hand, so incorporating it into some of the photos was obvious.
Mike wanted to wait to see Sarah until she was walking down the aisle, but that didn't take a first look totally out the question. We decided to not only do a first look with Sarah's Dad, but also her Mother in Law and the Groomsmen!
Then it was time for the bridesmaids! One of my favorite prompts to use for natural laughs in wedding parties is "look at whoever is getting drunkest tonight!" Works like a charm everytime!
I was not the only person in my family who was blessed to be part of this wedding. My son schmoozed his way into being the ring bearer! Ok, not really "schmoozed" but he is quite the charmer- and he managed to charm his way into their hearts right from the start. It was definitely a proud mom moment seeing him, looking so dapper.
Since Sarah and Mike had already gotten legally married and Covid had put this celebration on hold once already, this was more of a renewal of vows ceremony. They were able to have a very close family friend preform the ceremony which made it extra personal. Of course the day couldn't go PERFECTLY, and it did start to rain right as we were getting ready for the ceremony. Sarah could not have cared less! This wedding was happening, wet or not! Luckily it slowed to a sprinkle quickly and stopped just in time for the ceremony but the cloud definitely kept us on edge. We had a pretty quick timeline between the ceremony and reception, so we got going right away. We knocked out the bridal party pretty quick since we had gotten the separate sides before the ceremony. Sarah expressed that she didn't want to do the traditional family posed photos, which I absolutely applaud- it's just so tedious!
We managed to have extra time so we took a ride out to an upper field that they had shown me the night before. With all the rain and clouds, we knew that sunset was going to end up being a dud, so it was great to get some extra time for the bride and grooms portraits together. We hopped onto the gator and headed back out. This field was just beautiful and the backdrop was filled with sheep. Which I'll admit, I am a sucker for farm animals. Llamas next, please?!
Off to the reception we went! Remember earlier when I mentioned how they didn't want to do the normal family portraits. Instead, they wanted to go around and dismiss tables for dinner- but get a photo with each table as they went. It was the perfect way to get photos with everyone without having to schedule a million family portraits. This will definitely be added to my wedding suggestions for future couples!
I love when couples add a personal touch to their wedding. Their guest book was a wooden cutout of the US All the guests were able to sign it on their way in and towards the end of the evening they branded it together with a brand Mike made himself. It was such a unique version of a guest book!
As the end of the night rolled around, I grabbed Sarah and Mike for one last shot. It had gotten dark, obviously, but I had been eyeing some lights they had hung in the yard all night. I had this shot in my head all day (especially when it started raining), but the rain managed to hold off for the rest of the night. But when I explained my vision for it, they were totally game for whatever! We soaked the umbrella in the sink and faked the rain a bit- but shhh... no one will ever know ;) My favorite part of this wedding is how much not only the couple, but the entire bridal party trusted me with every single idea I had. I am absolutely honored that they have held that trust in me for all their special moments from their proposal through their wedding. I hope that I get to continue capturing their life in the future.
Cheers, to Mr. and Mrs. Nowack!
Comments
Post a Comment