Elizabeth and Alden's Intimate Back Yard Wedding In Nashville, Tennessee
Alden and Elizabeth
Back Yard Wedding
Nashville Tennessee
Weddings are filled with people who are important to the bride and groom. When you shoot an intimate backyard wedding like E + A had in Alden’s parent’s back yard in Nashville Tennessee, the guest list is short. Every person there was carefully considered and intentionally invited.
We met Elizabeth and Alden at a previous wedding we photographed! (Shout out to Christine and Steven! Hey guys!) With wedding days being hectic, we don’t always get to interact with the bridal party as much as we’d like, so when we got lunch with these two and photographed their engagement session, it was so good to get to know them better. (Spoiler alert, we freakin adore them!) Alden is so funny and kind and Elizabeth lights up the room with her beautiful smile and loving heart.
They were married at Alden’s childhood home. His artwork was displayed on multiple walls. (So talented!) Their house is a midcentury dream with a beautiful view of Nashville. The deck was transformed to hold the ceremony and dance floor. (which allowed guests to really soak in the beauty that Tennessee has to offer while celebrating their friends' love. ) Walls made entirely of glass were also the perfect way for guests to really take in the view from inside through out the day.
Elizabeth texted me when she got her wedding dress fitted. Hearing how she described it and how it made beautiful it made her feel definitely caused me to tear up. We talk about moments a LOT in our work, but how you feel is equally important. We want you to feel like the best version of you on your wedding day. We want you to feel handsome or stunning, and you are all of those things. Elizabeth and Alden are all of those things.
Some of our favorite moments and things from the day:
• Alden and Elizabeth inheriting Alden’s grandparent’s wedding bands (It was beautiful)
• The Wiggly Dance that Alden and his siblings did during the reception
• Chic-Fil-A Dinner + brownie batter cake
• Elizabeth spinning in her gown during their first look
• The bartender magically guessing my age
• Seeing Nashville’s lights at night
• Elizabeths BEAUTIFUL flowers. The colors were so perfect!
It was definitely a wedding where we left with full hearts! (and stomachs!) How fortunate we are to have this incredibly special job.
Thanks for reading,
Rosalie Marion
Lauren and Darius's Wedding at the Franciscan Gardens in San Juan Capistrano, California
Lauren + Darius
FRANCISCAN GARDENS WEDDING | SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CALIFORNIA
Lauren and Darius are on our list of most amazing couples in the universe. One day as we were
checking out a Facebook group filled with SUPER talented photographers and saw a referral posted from a super gorgeous and cool looking lady named Lauren. I commented on her Facebook post and the rest is history.
They flew from Seattle, Washington to get married in their childhood state, California! When we first started talking to Lauren and Darius, they were doing the long distance engagement thing. Darius was only home on the weekends, so Sunday was their only full day together for a while. We flew out to shoot their engagement photos and in the car, on the way home, Sunday Candy began to play. This was their song. On Sunday, June 11th Lauren and Darius were married at Franciscan Gardens in San Juan Capistrano. When they shared their first kiss as husband and wife, Sunday Candy began to play and it was like this immediate bliss washed over them.
Their day revolved around a combination of Lauren's free spirit and Darius's military back ground! Heavy floral and greenery arrangements, pops of coral, elegant glassware, and a soft and romantic color palette along with military ceremony's throughout the day. Lauren's incredibly easy going, fun, and beautiful spirit balanced perfectly with Darius calm, quiet, and sweet demeanor!
This is easily one of the prettiest venues we have ever had the honor of photographing. The Bloom of Time's florals and All in the Details Design did an incredible job bringing Lauren and Darius dream wedding to life. at the Franciscan Gardens. Soft white, pinks, and pops of coral were the perfect contrast to the amount of greenery featured in this venue. (Can we talk about the hedge walls, please?!) After the ceremony, we headed over to the Mission San Juan Capistrano to take some oh so lovely portraits of the newly weds! (You'll wanna check those our! If your ever in the area, definitely stop by and visit!) Later that night, after all was done and the cake was eaten, we drove to Laguna to photograph L + D at "their spot". It was a large rock, jutting out into the ocean with an amazing view of the sunset and the city lights glowing in the face of dusk. Lauren worked at a restaurant on the beach when they were dating, and after work they would climb this rock and watch the sunset together.
It was a freaking dream.
We can't wait to see these two again.
Sumer and Jacob's St. Charles, Missouri Engagement Session
Sumer and Jacob’s Missouri Engagement Session
St. Charles, Missouri
When Sumer and Jacob reached out to us to shoot their wedding, we were so sad that we weren’t available, but we we’re so excited to still shoot their engagement photos for them! In the dead of winter, it can feel impossible to get those warm, snuggly photos that a lot of couples have their hearts set on, so when Sumer told me she knew a place with beautiful evergreens, the ol’ creative wheel started a turnin’! (I guess I’m an old timey prospector.) I arrived about an hour earlier to the conservation area in St. Charles, Missouri and scouted for areas to take their photos. Aside from the green on the trees, the overcast fields lacked any color that would create the illusion of a nice spring day. You know what? It wasn’t a nice spring day. It was a cold, gloomy day. But you wouldn’t know it from these two. This could have been a summer evening with a summer thunderstorm slowly rolling in. It could have been a crisp fall day, the smell of bonfires and hot apple cider close by.
In any weather, in any season, it’s the love and connection that creates the warmth in photographs. Sumer and Jacob brought the warmth to these photos. We talked about so much. Wedding planning, their careers, our dogs, and a lot of me saying I was sad that I don’t get to shoot their wedding! Haha We ran over crunchy pine needles, snuggled up in tall grass, danced at the waters edge, and forgot that the rest of the world existed.
More sessions like this, please.
xo
Rosalie
Alex and Addison's St. Louis Wedding at Piper Palm House and Wild Carrot
Alex + Addison
St. Louis, Missouri
PIPER PALM HOUSE + WILD CARROT
I was sitting in the parking lot of Menards when we recieved Alex and Addison’s first email about shooting their St. Louis wedding at the Piper Palm House and Wild Carrot. After a quick response and phone call, we decided that the four of us were a match made in heaven. It may be the fastest we’ve ever booked a wedding and you know what? After hanging out with them for their engagement session, (And getting a WICKED scar on my foot and knee.) Facetiming, stalking each other’s business and personal Instgrams, it’s no surprise that we love them like we’ve known them our whole lives.
We woke up before dawn and drive two hours into St. Louis to catch Alex and Addison reading their vow’s to each other in Alex’s suite. They read their vows to each other, tear filled and in their pajamas. It was a once in their life moment we were honored to be apart of. After grabbing breakfast, we headed back to shoot the rest of their day. You know, there are a lot of personalities mixing on wedding days and you just never know exactly how the day is going to play out. But Alex and Addison’s love and joy is infectious. It permeated every human who was apart of the day. Only happiness. Only laughter. Only good tears. From Alex seeing Addison walking down the aisle at Piper Palm House to dancing to the best live music at Wild Carrot, (Oh and the Chick-fil-a!) the whole day was just as magical as well… Magic! It was the REAL DEAL. Beautiful AND amazing.
Alex and Addison,
We’ll never forget this day.
Or the Chick-fil-a
Or the way
you par-tay
An elementary level poem by yours truly,
Rosalie Marion
Love you both!
Robbie and Robbie's Illinois Wedding at the Brix on Fox in Carpentersville, Illinois
Robbie and Ryan
Wedding at The Brix on Fox
Carpentersville, IL
Ever wonder how beautiful a wedding outside Chicago in freezing cold November could be? Well, it can be impossibly beautiful. Robbie and Ryan proved that. This was one of those weddings where Zach and I walk around making eye contact with each other confirming that we are indeed shooting a dream wedding. Robbie and Ryan are wedding photographers, so you know that they had the best taste in wedding venues, (We’re looking at you, The Brix on Fox!) details, and vendors.
When we arrived, I remember distinctly how calm the day was. Robbie was getting ready in the bridal suite. (She’s the truest definition of beauty, inside and out.) Ryan was getting ready in the reception hall. One thing you should know about R+R is that they put everyone around them at ease. Every moment was one of complete joy. There wasn’t a single moment either one of them was flustered or stressed out. (It happens to the best of us, I assure you.) Even walking through day old snow, taking portraits, and having their first look in below freezing temperatures, there were only smiles and laughter and clouds of condensation from all of our mouths.
There were moments where emotions ran high. As Robbie walked down the aisle, she, her brothers, and Ryan all cried. It was such a sweet moment. The culmination of all their hopes and dreams of finding the one they would love and love them in return was realized in that moment. It’s easy to get caught up in moments throughout the day, but the ceremony. That’s the beating heart of your wedding day.
If there’s one piece of advice that comes from you reading this blog post, please please get a good officiant. The officiant who married Robbie and Ryan was so personal and kind and hilarious. We’re talking doubled over laughter, and endearing gazes exchanged.
To all of you getting married, I wish you two things for your reception: That you have a DJ as amazing as Robbie and Ryans, and that your dance floor is as full as theirs was the whole night long!
What an incredible day. What an incredible marriage.
Thanks for reading,
Zach and Rosalie Marion
