James + Kaeli's Joyful Wedding in Springfield, Missouri
james + Kaeli
OLD TOWNE EVENT CENTER, SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI
We've known Kaeli since she was eleven years old , so when she told us that she was getting married to her soul mate, we screamed! After meeting James, I knew that this was the man for our friend. He's hilarious, kind, and fiercely loyal. (Especially to the Eagles! haha) While is it was a spring day in early March, it SNOWED. J + K and their bridal party braved the cold and snow and walked all over downtown Springfield, MO. We even when to the amazing Vandivort Hotel and Gailey's Breakfast. Omg. The wedding venue where they chose to get married, Old Towne Event Center, was gorgeous! Its soft blush back drops mixed with the ghost chairs made for the dreamiest mood in their ceremony.
What we love about James and Kaeli so much is that they are the REALEST.
Some of our favorite details:
• Kaeli's parents and grandparents got married on the same exact day!
• They took communion and incorporated their faith.
• They registered for Dominios for their wedding registry.
• They took pictures with pizza.
• They tossed cheese whales into each other mouths after their first look while waiting for the ceremony.
• They danced their hearts out.
• They hugged us a billion times.
• They prioritized their own enjoyment.
They had a ton of freakin fun.
It was such an honor to be their wedding photographers.
Victoria and Grayson's Woodsy Couple Session Outside of Athens, Georgia
Victoria + Grayson
Franklin Springs, Georgia
In March Zach and I drove 9 hours to visit two of our very best friends in Georgia! I’ve been friends with Victoria for close to ten years now, and when she married Grayson, he and Zach became fast friends too! (And I obviously love him too! He’s great!)
While we were visiting, these two let us photograph them on their beautiful land with their super cool VW bus!
We love you both!
Josh + Melissa's Intimate Destination Wedding in the Smoky Mountains at Above the Mist
Josh + Melissa
Above the Mist Wedding Venue// Gatlinburg, Tennessee
This wedding has is ALL. A beautiful bride in a stunning wedding dress, stunning florals and greenery, perfectly smoky mountains, and an incredible love brought by both families . Josh and Melissa were planning a big wedding, but when they started feeling overwhelmed, they decided to live their dream and get married surrounded by their closest friends and family on top of a mountain in Tennessee. Besides a couple head over heels in love, there were two features of this wedding that gave me, Rosalie, chills all day: hints of Lord of the Rings tucked here and there, plus an amazing move of the Holy Spirit as everyone worshiped during their ceremony. But enough from me! I'll let our sweet bride, Melissa take it from here!
When deciding to get married in the United States, what made you choose the Smoky Mountains?
All throughout our engagement we were initially planning a bigger wedding in Canada and I had been feeling so stressed as those plans snowballed. I kept telling Josh “I just want to get married on a mountain or in a forest! I want it to just be a small and intimate ceremony and to be surrounded by the beauty of creation” When we finally came to the decision to go for it and make our wedding the day we really wanted it to be, Josh reminded me that a friend of his family named Rob (who is actually the pastor we wanted to marry us) lived in Tennessee, where there are gorgeous mountains! When we looked at pictures of the national park it felt like something right out of Middle Earth (Lord of the Rings is a big part of our love story) It was like a dream come true and as it all came together we knew it was meant to be
Planning from another country had to be difficult! How did you go about finding vendors to work with for your wedding day?
Initially when searching for vendors we did a lot of internet searches! Reading reviews, making calls and sending emails definitely made up a lot of our planning time! Having a family friend who lived at our destination definitely helped as they were able to recommend a few places as well! We also found our wonderful photographers through a photographer I had been talking with in Canada! She reached out on a wedding photographer community platform with our story and sent us a list of photographers that were interested in working with us (which was amazing)!
How did you get both of your families on board?
Both of our families were extremely supportive! They had known that the traditional big wedding wasn’t something that either Josh or I felt fit with us. They were incredible throughout the whole process: helping with contacting vendors, reassuring us when we were stressed and working with us to make our day match our vision.
What was your favorite moment of the day?
There are so many incredible moments from our wedding day that just fill my heart. Josh and I actually have top 3 moments from our wedding day. Seeing eachother for the first time as I walked down the aisle was such an emotional and amazing moment. Then during our ceremony when we were able to worship the Lord while holding each others hands and overlooking the beautiful mountains was definitely one of the highlights. Finally at the end of the night after our reception had ended we ran off and rode a Ferris Wheel overlooking the city as we soaked in the last drops of the day enjoyed our first moments alone as husband and wife ❤️
Annnnddd for Brides planning considering a destination wedding, what advice would you give them? 😍
It may initially be difficult when making the decision to have a destination wedding, with the opinions and expectations of so many people looming over your head. BUT, it is so worth it! Having a wedding day that is truly what YOU as a couple want is so priceless. Looking back and saying “that was OUR day” without a doubt is so amazing. We also absolutely loved being able to explore a new place together as newly weds. It was such an amazing adventure and I can’t recommend it enough!
Jordan + Coleton's Intimate Destination Wedding at Sapphire Point in Lake Dillon, Colorado.
JORDAN + COLETON'S INITIMATE WEDDING AT SAPPHIRE POINT IN LAKE DILLON, COLORADO
-Zach&Rosalie St. Louis Wedding Photographers -
We've known Jordan and Coleton for a while now and were SO excited when they reached out to us after getting engaged. Their plan sounded great! Get married locally, have all of their friends and family there, but when things started getting over whelming, Jordan and Coleton spontaneously decided to get married in Colorado! A state they hadn't visited, but knew was breathtaking! When they emailed us and broke the news to us, we were excited to tell them HECK YES WE TRAVEL! The day of was so fun. Like all weddings, not everything went perfectly according to plan, but being the free spirits that they are, J + C rolled with everything, giant smiles on their faces.
Enough from me! We asked Jordan to share some of the details of how she planned their destination wedding all by herself!
WHAT STATE DID YOU PICK AND WHY?
We picked Breckenridge, Colorado, as an impulse decision. We were planning a wedding for the town we live in, but knowing how many people was on our list we knew there wasn’t a venue around here to accommodate that many people and still look cute, so we figured a destination wedding would be perfect and whoever really wanted to be there could still come if they wanted to! We thought about a beach wedding, but c’mon! The mountains are stunning and we love to travel, so why not have our first trip to the mountains & Colorado be our wedding
HOW DID YOU PICK YOUR VENUE?
Picking our wedding venue was very tough. I was constantly on Pinterest looking at tiny little spots, knowing our ceremony was only going to consist of about 30-40 people I didn’t want to pay thousands and thousands of dollars for a venue where we only took up the first two rows. And that’s how I came across Sapphire Point in Lake Dillon. A sweet, secluded little lookout that overlooked the mountains and Lake Dillon. Breath. Taking. And it was perfect.
HOW HARD WAS IT TO GET YOUR FAMILY ON BOARD?
Getting our friends & family on board was a little tough, I have a grandpa who suffered from multiple strokes and was still in the process of recovering, but after getting the okay from the doctor my grandma started the drive a couple days early just to give them time to get there (hallelujah). As for the rest of our family, it was a breeze getting everyone there! We rented a huge mountain lodge where we could sleep 32 people so everyone was able to stay in the house with us which made it even more fun. The tough part was our bridal party! We each had 6 bridesmaids and 6 groomsmen, which meant TWELVE people we were responsible for and had to worry about them getting out there. Everything went smooth once everything was said and done, but it was very, very hard to get everyone’s schedules to match up since we were there Friday-Monday.
HOW DID YOU FIND YOUR VENDORS?
"Selecting vendors in a place you’ve never been and the first time you’re going there is the day before your wedding - s t r e s s f u l! All I can say is do your research, thoroughly and make sure you’re 110% confident in your decisions! "
+ TAKING A MOMENT HERE TO SAY ASK YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER AND FIND A DAY OR MONTH OF COORDINATOR!
CHECK INSTAGRAM, READ FACEBOOK REVIEWS, CHEK OUT WEDDING WIRE AND THE KNOT.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT?
"My absolute favorite moment was when Rosalie came up to Coleton and I right after our ceremony and asked us to say I do to each other! I couldn’t help but laugh even though I secretly want to cry at the same time at the fact that our minister forgot to have us do so. (Also another good tip on knowing who is going to marry you!!!!) aside from that moment, our sparkler session would be my favorite moment! Zach and Rosie snapped the best reactions! "
HOW WAS HAVING ZACH&ROSALIE AS YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS?
"Having Zach & Rosalie come out was the best decision we could have made. Although they are friends of ours, knowing that we wanted them to do our wedding was a no brainer. Especially because they LOVE doing destination weddings and have an eye for every little detail! The fact that they flew out and were there to offer advice and tips throughout our entire day made it that much easier on us. Not to mention they are a blast to work with! You expect just a few friendly conversations between your engagement session and the wedding, but when you book them you’re booking two wonderful friends to keep forever because they truly care about you and your spouse!! They are passionate about their work and their pictures are nothing short of perfect!"
Education: PLANNING A DESTINATION WEDDING
Josh + Melissa's Intimate Wedding in the Smoky Mountains
We may be wedding photographers based in St. Louis Missouri, but we have shot our share of destination weddings
and are here to offer some solid advice for you!
1| CHECK THE REQUIREMENTS
Whatever state or country you choose, the first thing that you should check off your to-do list is look up the state/country/regions laws and requirements for legal marriage! We know that each state has similar, but sometimes different requirements for couples who wish to get married.
For example, in some states, like Connecticut, you do not need to be a resident to receive a marriage license, but you do need to apply either in the town where you plan on getting married. And then there are states like Arkansas where a marriage license can be used statewide! Check for wait times too! Some states have a waiting period of three days after applying to receive a marriage license. If you're planning on getting married in a state with that requirement, it is probably best to get there at least three days before the weekend just to be sure. (Depending on if their courthouse is open on the weekends!) Each state has different needs when it comes to applications as well, so read up and make sure you bring all of the right papers, ID's, and whatever else may be required!
If you plan on eloping and are really wanting it to be a private, intimate moment consider Colorado! In the state of Colorado you are only required to have one witness, with a second space on the marriage license for an optional second witness. We've been witnesses for our couples elopements in the past and it is truly an honor. <3
Click HERE for a full list of US States and their requirements for out of state marriage!
Jordan + Coleton's Intimate Wedding at Sapphire Point in Lake Dillon, Colorado
2| SCOUT THE LOCATION - IN PERSON OR ONLINE
Visit the area as a weekend get away to really get you in the mood for your wedding! Schedule tours with your favorite venues or if you've been before, maybe pick a spot that is super special to you? Could be a lookout on a hiking trail or the taco bar where you first met! Stay in a few cute AirBNB's in close proximity and re-rent your two favorites as getting ready locations for the guys + the girls. Plot twist: Get MARRIED at an AirBNB! Super affordable and endless locations, prices, and quirkiness right at your fingertips!
Great resources to find THE PLACE!
• Venue Report
• National Parks Websites or Vacationing there and adventuring to find the perfect place to say I do!
• AirBNB
• Or the best options: ask your photographer or coordinator!!
Some unconventional venue ideas:
• Green House
• Parking Garage (There's one in St. Louis that we ADORE.)
• Rooftop
• Your backyard
• Alley way
• Library
• Record Shop
• Coffee House (Barista Parlor in Nashville is goals.)
• Under a Bridge
• Airplane Hanger
#1 TIP - DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK UNCONVENTIONAL SPACES IF THEY'D BE WILLING TO HOST YOUR WEDDING!
The worst they can do is say no!
Rebekah + Trey's elopement in St. Louis
3| PICK YOUR VENDORS
Finding vendors can be, yeah we know it, overwhelming! As a photographer who has personally helped clients plan out of state weddings I can tell you that my NUMBER ONE recommendation is to find a wedding coordinator that you love. We have three that we adore and always recommend for destination weddings/elopements. (In Alphabetical order, because we love them all!) Brannan Events - Bridezilla Events - He&She Weddings .
If you decide to go it alone, we recommend looking at hashtags on instagram using your venue/location and then the category you're looking for. #yourweddingdestinationflorals/dj/weddingrentals. Junebug Weddings is also a great resource when looking for vendors after you've found your photographer.
4| LOOK OVER THE GUEST LIST
Is it overwhelming thinking about getting everyone you've ever met in one spot? Consider eloping. You can still have all of the beauty of the vows and plan a really great reception for when you come home! Print a couple of albums for your parents and show your video and printed photos at your reception to make your guests feel involved! Eloping opens a whole new freedom in choosing a wedding venue stateside and abroad. You can squeeze into little spaces!
Not overwhelmed? Consider the AirBNB option! Rent one or two large spaces that can accommodate multiple families and save money by getting married there. There are some really amazing options. It's an updated version of the hotel block and is super trendy for 2018 + 2019 Weddings. Planning on getting married at a resort? Call and ask what kind of rates they can give to guests planning to make the trek!
5| ASK FOR HELP
You're not in this alone. All of your vendors, especially your photographer, ;) want you to feel supported and provide as much information and support as possible leading up to, on, and even after your day. Your wedding day is so important to us and the people you choose to work with. Let us help create the best experience for you and your bride/groom to be.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
WANT TO HEAR FROM THE TWO BRIDES WHO DID IT? CHECK OUT THE POSTS BELOW!
thanks for reading.
- ROSALIE MARION
ST. LOUIS WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
CAT LOVER EXTRODINAIRE.
