Everything about this wedding- from planning, to shooting, to processing- has been a total pleasure. Jeff + Becca are two incredible people who have some fantastic style and a lot of fun, too! I shot their wedding on July 3rd at Becca's parents home in Sherman, Texas. It was a day filled with lots of love and purpose...but instead of telling you about it, I will let the bride!
(I gave her a mini-interview post-wedding, and so I'll be including her thoughts here in their blog post, along with some helpful links to all the cool stuff she used- for the brides-to-be! Note: The interview idea if not mine originally- some of my favorite photogs- Bobbi + Mike- do this. I've always thought it was so insightful and helpful that I'd give it a try!)
So, here is Becca's perfect description of their day:
A week or so before the wedding, my mom started worrying about the weather (understandable, an outdoor wedding with no indoor alternative with 400 guests expected), but felt the Lord give her a message, that she needed to wait and He would "delight" her. That obviously gave her a huge peace, and we moved forward with preparations.
The night before the wedding, a big rain rolled through, soaking the ground. It rained for most of the night, and my mom came and woke me up early on the morning of the wedding, saying we needed to talk. I went downstairs and out onto the porch where she and my dad were sitting, drinking coffee, and watching the rain. They told me the forecast called for more rain throughout the day. As a family, we decided that the Lord does not break his promises, so we had to move forward in faithfulness, or we would be missing out on something spectacular.
About ten minutes before the ceremony started, a huge, dark cloud ominously filled the sky. Mom said she stood at the window and watched it grow until it consumed the entire skyline...and then the Wind blew. The cloud literally split. Thanks to a meteorologist friend, we have a copy of the radar just minutes before the start of the ceremony, and in a huge raincloud that stretched miles to the north, south, east, and west, there is a small hole in it--about five square miles, right smack in the middle of which was our wedding.
Now, if our wedding had been rained out, nothing would have been ruined, the day would have still been wonderful. Rain makes no difference. But the fulfillment of God's promises makes all the difference.
It really was such a peaceful, perfect little weather bubble right over the ceremony. Little did I know at the time that it was literally evidence of God's presence there with us!
Here are my favorites from the day...there are more, but these are the ones I could fit into a blog post!
Wedding gown, bridesmaids' dresses and suits were all J.Crew, except the fabric flowers on the bridesmaids' dresses, which Becca made herself. Veil by Fascinating Creations.
Becca wore Jeff's late grandmother's necklace on her wrist as a bracelet.
I asked Becca what their favorite purchase was and she said:
We had our groomsmen buy slacks and a dress shirt, then we gave them the tie and tie bar. We had our ushers wear clothes they already had, and Jeff bought his suit--so they got to keep everything they paid for, instead of spending $100+ on a tux they only got to keep for a day or two!
Jeff being totally GQ-
Jeff + Becca knew they would do a First Look before I even asked about it- here's what they had to say:
It was intimate, comfortable, and made the rest of the evening stress-free. We didn't have to worry about trying to avoid each other for the rest of the pre-wedding evening, and we got to take all of our portraits while we looked our best. It also helped us max out our time at the reception, because we were basically able to go straight from the ceremony to the party!
My favorite!
It was at this moment that Becca revealed Jeff's ring to him. She knew he had wanted something engraved on it- but this was totally amazing! Inside his ring is the engraving of her fingerprint! Here's where she got it. SO COOL.
This flower girl was adorable. You have to hear this story from Becca:
When I gave our flower girl her little "thank you" bag, she immediately put on the bracelets, makeup, and hugely-flowered headband, and, looking herself over, commented quietly, "I am so, really pretty." Now that's how little girls should always feel!!
Couldn't get over the ceremony details. The sign-in desk was Becca's great-grandmothers, and they borrowed the antique doors from the landscaper who did all of the landscaping on the property.
I MUST give some serious props to my friend Stancy Higley of Stancy Higley Photographie, who not only was a bridesmaid, but shot some gorgeous images for their Engagement and Becca's Bridal Session. (You can see an image on the program).
Yes, those are twin boys, with curly blonde hair, in seersucker suits. I thought this only existed in the movies, haha! They were precious.
Jeff + Becca found themselves in Alaska a few days later- and said the Taku Lodge is not to be missed!
Here are a few more questions:
Q. If you could do it all over, would you change anything?
A. We didn't take the time to walk through the entire tent during the reception, so we didn't see a lot of the beautiful decor or food, which was a bummer. (It's OK- I have plenty of pictures!)
Q. Any advice for future brides/grooms?
A. If you're on a budget, use your friends' talents. For example, our flowers were done by a friend, and we couldn't have afforded anything like them if we'd gone though a "professional" florist. Also, be as organized as possible and delegate EVERYTHING, literally. If you need to tell someone to be quiet, ask someone else to do it. Don't be the bearer of any bad news. Everyone wants to serve you on your special day, so let them! Try to plan for every situation, but when it comes down to it...just let it go. Make the most of it, have fun, and be all lovey dovey!! And hire LISSA ANGLIN!!!
Promise I didn't add that last sentence in!
Thank you, Jeff and Rebecca, for letting me document your day! It was such an honor!
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