This was the day, Friday, before the day that it rained. all. day.
I’m so glad this wedding happened on Friday and not on a Saturday.
It rained all morning Friday though, and as I watched out the window of my dining room, preparing my batteries, cameras, flashes, and bags, I wondered if it was going to break at all for us to have the outdoor ceremony for Dot & Brad’s wedding. When I had asked Dot what her rain plan was, she had told me, “umbrellas.” It was going to be an interesting one. 🙂
We got lucky.
It broke just in time for the ceremony to take place, with the most moody, gorgeously overcast skies overhead.
When a couple describes their wedding day to me, I get pictures in my head of what it might be like. All of the pictures in my head of what Dot told me about from our initial meeting could not have prepared me for the actual beauty, colors, laughter and love that I saw that day. She described her mother’s home, the memorial for her late father that was there, the pergola that her father built with her groom-to-be, and all of the special things there at the home that meant so much to her and her family. When I arrived at the house that day, I was completely overwhelmed with the visual stimuli. Enraptured, I began to photograph and take it all in. It was heaven for a photographer, and it was even better because of how special the connections between these people are.
Dot and Brad have a fantastic story. They met at a Petco, where Brad was training Dot’s beloved pup. Dot slowly worked up the courage over time to buy Brad a coffee, and the rest is history. It was perfect and so fitting for their pups, Bentley and Riley, to be their flower girl and ring bearer. Brad’s cousin Lisa created the amazing bouquets and floral arrangements, and I think this might be the most beautiful bridal bouquet I’ve ever seen in my life, hence the flower overload in these photos. They’re epically amazing.
From the moment I met the girls at the hotel where they were getting ready, and the mothers were dancing to Nelly, I knew this was going to be a great wedding. I have never had mothers dance like that before! It was such a great way to start the day.
Dot’s twin brother, James, walked her down the aisle. The music for the ceremony was performed by a fantastic live band made up of Dot’s extended family members – they were so great!! I didn’t even know that they were family until it was time for the family photos, and they all jumped in. The toasts given that evening by several of their closest family and friends were emotional, hilarious, and so right for this amazing occasion.
Dot and Brad, thank you so much for having my husband Andrew and I photograph your wedding day.
Hair & Makeup: Colissa Nole at Salon Nefisa
Wedding Gown: Breeze Bridal Boutique on Broadway
DJ: Safari Sound
Linens: The Broadway
Cupcakes: The Broadway
Ceremony: Family home in Columbia, Missouri
Reception: The Broadway Columbia
Floral: Lisa Brown of Jazzy Flowers in Chicago, Illinois
