Today I have a sweet St. Louis wedding for you from Hawes Photography! Ben + Emma had an awesome wedding that was overflowing with cute personal details. My favorite has to be the little signs throughout the reception that had facts about the couple- especially the one about how they love cooking for one another. It lists each of their specialties and the dishes they enjoy cooking together. Adorable!
Vendors:
Photography: Hawes Photography
Church: The Journey
Reception Venue: Scape Bistro
Florist: Les Bouquets
Cake: Sarah’s Cake Shop
Bride’s Dress: Justin Alexander
Bride’s shoes: Poetic Justice
I absolutely love this laid-back affair on a Tennessee lake! Lauren + UiJin didn’t want to wait long to wed, so rather than planning a huge elaborate wedding, they planned an intimate celebration of their love and commitment at a friend’s lovely lake home. They even walked each other down the aisle and exchanged vows with champagne in hand! UiJin’s adorable daughter was the flower girl. What a great example of a wedding that is a true reflection of the couple. Remember people, there are no rules! Make your wedding unique to you and your partner. Big thanks to JameyKay Young Photography for sending this sweet wedding over!
Vendors:
Photographer: JameyKay Young Photography
Venue: A friend’s lake house on Watuaga Lake
Florist: Sherri Furman
Dress: Did Someone Say Party? in Boone, NC
Band: Naked Gods
Catering: Friends/Employees/Family of Espresso News, UiJin’s coffee shop
Adria + Scott are from Ohio, but had a destination wedding in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina. Their wedding was full of charm and fun details, and even though temperatures rose to 112 degrees that day, everyone did their best to stay cool and have a great time. Honestly, you would never know from these gorgeous photos that it was burning up that day. The bride and groom are absolutely glowing, but with love not sweat! (Sorry, that was totally corny of me.)
A great example showing that unexpected extreme weather doesn’t have to put a damper on your big day! Thanks to Jameykay Young Photography for sharing this lovely wedding.
Vendors:
Photographer: Jameykay Young Photography
Venue: Hidden River Events
Caterer: Luella’s Bar-b-que
Cake: Short Street Cakes
Flowers: Your Vase or Mine
Hair + Makeup: Beauty Parade
DJ: Ben Miller
Alcohol: Bride’s Brother-in-Law + Wine Studio
Hello, 2013! We are back and off to a great start with Sarah + Mike’s sweet Iowa barn wedding, sent over by Hannah White Photography! Here are some details about the day from the bride Sarah:
“Knowing that this was one of the most important days of our lives, we wanted something unique and special that we would enjoy. We were tired of the same old ballroom weddings (even though they are beautiful!) We knew we wanted something different. The only question was what?? We thought of castles, gardens, river boats, vineyards, the zoo, Hawaii… eloping in Vegas! You name it..we thought of it! But none of those felt right. A year and a half before our wedding day, I saw pictures online of a rustic barn wedding and fell in love! Started searching online to realize that there aren’t many beautiful barns around that aren’t booked out solid for 2 or more years. Being very determined to find the perfect spot, I scoured the Internet looking for a barn. I somehow came across this beautiful, fairly unknown, historic barn in West Liberty, Iowa…Secrest 1883 Octagonal Barn! I fell in love with this place and knew it was perfect! And they were available on Labor Day weekend…in 8 1/2 weeks! We didn’t want to wait any longer to get married, so we booked it and started planning immediately! Being with the groom, Mike, for 6 1/2 years of searching for a wedding venue and 2 beautiful daughters later, we were excited to have finally found the perfect place to get married that fit our personalities perfectly….a barn!! Mikes laid back and low key personality and my love for the peaceful feeling of the countryside mixed with my love of vintage things and we knew we were set! A vintage inspired good ‘ol country hoedown that was also simple and elegant with the biggest focus on our love for each other and our families! Always remember the most important part of the day…your love for each other! The memory of your wedding day will be how you felt that day so don’t become stressed or upset! Also don’t get sucked into spending too much time planning all the small details and then forget to plan the reason everyone gathered with you…your love for each other!”
Vendors:
Photographer: Hannah White Photography
Event Designer: Covington and Co.
Venue: Secrest Octagonal Barn
Julie + Mike’s Orange County wedding is the perfect example of how simplicity can be stunning. I am seriously swooning over here! The photos by Studio 7 Photography literally blew me away, and everything from the flowers, to the venue, to the color palette are pure perfection. I just want to crawl into these photos and stay for awhile, don’t you?
Vendors:
Photographer : Studio 7 Photography
Venue : The Villa
Coordinator : Sandy Shirgaokar
Makeup : Stacey Craven
Hair : Sarah Ramirez
Videography : Charles Amante
Florals: Floral Occasions
Cake: Simply Sweet Cakery
DJ: Omer Saar
Officiant – Adrian Hex
I hope you enjoyed seeing Piper + Tyler’s lovely wedding from the perspective of Abi Q Photography yesterday. Today it’s time to show you the same wedding, but this time from the eyes of Richelle Dante Photography! Here is what Richelle had to say about her philosophy and approach to shooting a wedding…
“My goal when shooting a wedding is for couples to look back at their photos 10 years later and still be able to remember how they felt that day. I love capturing emotion, whether it’s a tear in the groom’s eye when he sees his bride for the first time, or when the ceremony is over, he adoringly looks at his bride, his new wife. A quiet moment embracing each other, or a father looking at his daughter with pride during the father daughter dance… this is what the wedding day is about. I also love getting all the details. Couples spend months planning their wedding and when the day comes, sometimes they don’t really get to see all the prettiness of their day and that’s when I come in handy!”
And some advice for all you brides and grooms-to-be out there…
“When picking a photographer, go with someone whose style you love AND who you feel comfortable with. If you aren’t comfortable with your photographer, you won’t get the images you have seen and love on their website. Your photographer is with you for a big part of your wedding day so you definitely want to make sure you like them. :) Doing an engagement shoot is a great way to get to better know your photographer so on your wedding day, it almost feels like a friend.
If photos are truly important, this might be the one area you don’t want to stick to your budget. You find the photographer of your dreams but they are slightly over budget, what do you do? Find a way to make it work, which mean you might have to cut back on something else. Your photos last forever! Your children, grandchildren and great-grand children will see them and get a peek into your life before they existed. You want photos that you love and that will always remind you of the wonderful memories of your wedding day! So please, don’t have your friend that just got a nice camera shoot your wedding! It is an investment that will last beyond your lifetime and it is worth it!”
Again, thanks so much to Richelle and Abi for sharing with us these past two days, and a huge congrats to the bride and groom, Piper + Tyler!!!
Vendors:
Photography: Abi Q Photography + Richelle Dante Photography
Planning + Floral Design: In the Now Weddings
Venue: Santiago Oaks Park in Orange,CA
This post is a first for The Loveliest Day, but I think it is pretty cool and I hope you do too! The always wonderful Abi Quisenberry of Abi Q Photography sent over a festive park wedding she shot with her friend and fellow photographer Richelle Dante. She suggested featuring the wedding in two parts- her images, and then Richelle’s images. That way readers could see how two different photographers with two different perspectives see the same wedding. I loved the idea and also asked both ladies to share their philosophy and approach to shooting weddings with us, along with any advice they may have for all you brides and grooms out there! So to start, we have Abi’s photos and philosophy, and tomorrow I will have Richelle’s photos and philosophy to share with you! Here we go…
“When I first started shooting I was inspired by a much different feel then I am now. I love love loved sharpness and clean clean photos. Perfection was key. Then I hit a phase of details. I was obsessed and missed out on so many pure moments going around me because of my obsession with capturing the flowers at just the right angle. I am ashamed to admit it, but it’s true. Last year I was in love with colors again, softness, airiness in my photos. An emotion you could touch. This year I believe in the emotion and the moments more then ever, but I have come to realize the perfectness of an imperfect photo. Hair in the face. Tears on the cheeks. Kisses that took your breath away. The organic rawness of an image that is so full of emotion you get lost in it.”
“Anybody that’s married will tell you your wedding day goes by in a blur. They’re hard to remember. In the end your left with a ring on your finger, a dress in your closet and your love by your side. Which is awesome. Don’t get me wrong. I loved my dress, my ring catches the light just right and my husband man is the only one for me. But. But my wedding photos. They tell the story of the day we became husband and wife. They show how little my siblings were, the stupid cry face I made walking down the aisle, the happiness in our eyes when we were pronounced man and wife. They capture a moment and a time you’ll never have again. They are what you will pass on to your children and your childrens children. You can’t put a price on that. Which is why this year I am striving to capture the connections more then ever. I want to make beautiful art that my clients will cherish for the rest of their lives. In the end, it’s about the moments.”
A big, huge thanks to Abi for sharing with us today, and be sure to check back tomorrow for Richelle’s take on Piper + Tyler’s beautiful wedding!!!
Vendors:
Photography: Abi Q Photography + Richelle Dante Photography
Planning + Floral Design: In the Now Weddings
Venue: Santiago Oaks Park in Orange, CA