Burgundy and Navy Backyard Wedding

There is a Hindu tradition where it’s good luck when it rains on your wedding day. When a knot is tied and then it gets wet, it makes it way harder to come untied, which in turn make it good luck to have rain on a wedding day. Courtney and I were texting the week of the wedding and we discussed on what would happen with portraits if it rained on the wedding day. She told me that it had rained at both of her siblings weddings, so her family was used to dealing with that. They had these gorgeous clear umbrellas for backup and I kept reassuring her that I would find great spots out of the rain if we absolutely had to. It’s my job to take that stress off of couples, especially on a rainy day.

It did, indeed, rain on Courtney and Chris’ wedding day. I’m not talking about a light rain. It was raining cats and dogs that whole morning. I remember praying as I drove to the wedding that if it had to rain, that the good Lord would let it rain all day except for portrait times! We needed the rain then and it was much appreciated, but Courtney and Chris were having an outdoor ceremony at her parents house (a big white tent wedding) and so they needed the rain to slow down or go away towards the evening. Well, prayers were answered and it stopped right before portraits started! Seriously! So amazing. I told Courtney we were headed outside for bridesmaids pictures and she just smiled and all the girls got excited. I love the light after a good rain. It’s so soft and light and airy, just like my shooting style 🙂

Courtney and Chris were married at Holy Childhood Church in Mascoutah. It was a beautiful ceremony and I know I posted a lot of black and white shots below of it, but there’s just something about church photos that look so good in black and white. The moment Courtney and Chris were introduced as husband and wife was a moment I’ll never forget. Courtney’s smile is so big that I saw it all the way at the back of the church. And the way Chris looked at his bride in that moment was a moment straight out of a chick flick movie. See girls, the romantic comedy/chick flicks really do come to life!

The night ended with NO rain at a lovely reception put on by Courtney’s parents. They really did a lot of work to their property to have a white tent reception. From paving their driveway for the tent to sit level, to making a parking area for all of their guests with golf carts transporting people from their cars to the tent. Even the bathroom rental was amazing! Seriously, that was the nicest porta-potty system I’ve ever seen… and yes, I posted a pic of it below! It was an amazing evening and I loved being a part of such an amazing day. I can’t wait for you all to see my favorites below. There’s a lot so get ready!

Ceremony Location: Holy Childhood Church, Mascoutah, IL
Reception Location: Bride’s Parents House
Florist: Grim and Gorly
Hair & Makeup – J&L’s Salon
Bride’s Dress: Christina Wu at Bridal Manor
DJ/Entertainment: McMusic Events
Videographer: Millennium Productions
Cake: Bride’s Cousin
Catering: Tom’s Catering
Bridesmaids Dresses: Bill Levokoff at Bridal Manor
Groomsmen Attire: Michael Kors at Bridal Manor
Invites: Minted
Chairs, Tables & Linens: Grand Rental Station
Tent: Traube Tent
Bathroom: Portable Water Closet
Honeymoon: Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya