Alex & Emily’s wedding day had been long anticipated. Their plans consisted of an outdoor ceremony with a reception at the place they first met, their old high school. On the day of, the weather was very temperamental and we weren’t quite sure what was going to happen. The outdoor ceremony was perfectly set up when only an hour and a half before the wedding was to start, thunderstorms rolled in causing the groom and his men to run for tarps and cover their beautiful creation.

You can bet your last dollar that I was standing under a patio roof both photographing this AND checking the radar every second. I truly didn’t want a waterlogged ceremony for Emily and Alex. They deserved such a beautiful day focused on just them. So sure enough, by the grace of God, the rain cleared a half hour before and all was well. Yes, we had storm clouds and thunder but it was still perfect. The storm clouds were such a great addition to their wedding images also.

As I finished photographing Emily getting ready, she was literally trembling. She was so nervous. We left her to talk with some family members while I photographed Alex with the bridesmaids and we came back to ‘I want to talk to Alex!’ So without breaking tradition and still calming Emily’s nerves, we did an impromptu ‘first touch’ (The bride a groom usually have a wall or door between them while they can still talk and hold hands but would not see each other.) which brought a smile to their faces and truly did calm Emily down. It was a sweet moment.

The idea to have their reception at the high school where they met is incredibly adorable and brilliant. To think about how many moments they had in the school and now counting their wedding day as one of them, I feel the school will always be a continual reminder of  their history together.

On top of  incorporating their history into the wedding, the couple had a first priority to make sure Emily’s mother (Who is sadly, no longer with us) was thoroughly involved in the wedding. When Emily put her dress on, her sister fastened her dress, tied her sash and fixed her veil. After Emily’s attire was almost complete, I heard her say ‘I wish my mom were here, it breaks my heart.’. That really hit home with me. It struck my heartstrings like no other. So as her father entered Emily’s prep room, he brought out Emily’s mother’s pearl necklace. Emily turned around and her father placed it around her neck. As Emily looked up at me, I could see her father, dressed in his best, looking down at her with such a touching and sincere look. It’s moments like these, I feel I am so undeserving to watch.

I am so thankful to had met Emily and Alex. They are an incredibly sweet couple who had a very lively bridal party. They were so fun to work with. It was a eventful day and I am so glad I was chosen to photograph it!

Thank you so much for reading about their special day. If you would like an event or session photographed, please feel free to visit envphotographyy.com and view the ‘Contact’ page to learn how to contact us about a session!

 

**Vendor/Venue Information**

Ceremony: Parent of the Groom’s home
Reception: Centerburg High School – www.centerburgschools.org
Bride & bridesmaids dresses: David’s Bridal – www.davidsbridal.com 
Men’s Attire: Men’s Warehouse – www.menswearhouse.com