I walked into the salon where Jenny and her bridesmaids were getting ready and I knew from the minute I stepped into the building that it was going to be the best day ever! Mimosas were being poured, I could hear laughter and conversation and Jenny was smiling from ear to ear. Her hair was finished and was about to start on makeup. After hugs and getting myself acquainted with the bridal party, I jumped right in and starting capturing candid moments. It was my first wedding of the year and I was so nervous. I’m nervous for every wedding but the first wedding of the year always takes me a little while to find my groove back. It wasn’t long before everything started falling into place. Now, for an April wedding, you would have thought it would be gorgeous outside and beautiful blooming trees and flowers everywhere. WRONG! Nothing has bloomed much around here and on April 7 it was (I think) in the 40s. Mike and Jenny shared the most beautiful first look and shared about 30 minutes by themselves before the bridal party joined in. It was probably the only time they were alone all day (with the exception of a video/photography team LOL). The girls were good sports and dealt with the cold temperatures. Jenny’s father was such a gentlemen and he kept track of all the coats for the girls and helped keep them warm for me during portraits.

After a beautiful ceremony at the St. Johns United Church of Christ in Moro, IL, we headed across the field to Jenny’s parent’s home. Jenny grew up on a diary farm and having wedding portraits there with Mike was a dream come true. Having locations that have special meaning is a no-brainer and they usually end up the favorites! The party bus made a pit stop by Wal-Mart by the Lewis and Clark Community College (our next portrait stop) so the bridal party could get a few things. When you’re following a party bus and they make a detour, you just follow and don’t ask questions LOL. That little pit stop helped the sun move a little further down and it made for the most gorgeous portraits at LCCC. You definitely didn’t need blooming trees and flowers at LCCC. It is a beautiful campus with beautiful buildings. Plus, after taking pictures of the bridal party all day, they were pros at this point and we got portraits in record time because there was an event getting ready to take place, so we only had 5 minutes! Talk about a rush!

The evening ended at the Best Western Premier in Alton, IL and it’s such a beautiful venue for wedding receptions. Tables were decorated with white linens and pink flowers and navy blue can coolies were the favors. The cake was absolutely beautiful and it’s always hard imagining cutting in to such a wonderful work of art. Blue uplighting lit up the walls and the DJ for the night was amazing!!! Complete Entertainment did a wonderful job getting everyone pumped up the whole night.

As you know I like to end on telling you one of my favorite parts of the wedding day. Well this one took me like all of 5 seconds to think of. Hands down, one of the best parts was watching Jenny and her father play catch after their father/daughter dance. Jenny played softball her whole life till college and that was a big part of her family’s life. She and her dad played catch all the time. So they did so at the reception while the song Put Me In Coach played. After a little while, Mike grabbed his glove and he walked over to Jenny’s father and shook his hand and dad let Mike “play” with his daughter. Talk about a goose bump moment!!! I knew it was happening beforehand to get photos, but watching it play out was so special. I live for moments like that! Getting to be a part of Mike and Jenny’s wedding was such an honor and I’m so excited to show you some of my favorites. I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Links to vendors coming soon…