Private Vows at Blythefield Country Club

From the very first moment I met Ben and Izzie I just knew they were special. The joy, love and delight for this new season in life was so real with these two that you couldn’t help but smile. They are a couple that even though their wedding was to celebrate them, they repeatedly turned the emphasis back on their family and friends. When I walked into Izzie’s getting ready space on their wedding day and was greeted with “AHH MEGS HERE!”. She jumped out of her chair and wrapped her arms around me in the biggest hug. It’s always my desire to be a dear friend when I arrive on your wedding day and that’s exactly what happened.

While the girls enjoyed mimosas and admired each other’s makeup and hair getting done, the men spent their morning in the golf simulator. It was about this moment when huge rain storm came and the vendor team had a little “radar watching” party and discussed a game plan. I know as a bride rain is never what you want to see or hear but the best thing you can do in this situation is trust your vendor team and focus on the most important things. You’re getting married to the love of your life, with all your family and friends there that love and support you, and you were just gifted the most beautiful diffused lighting for your wedding day.

While we waited for a break in the rain, Izzie had her first look with her dad and then with Ben. Ben and Izzie chose to do a private vow reading during this time and then have more traditional vows at their ceremony.

Romantic Portraits by the River

We took a couple golf carts to the bridge on the course which was really important to them and one of my favorite spots as well. The bridge is right next to this beautiful old tree by the river that makes the most lovely backdrop for romantic portraits. Because of the recent rain I was extra careful to walk ahead of Izzie, and with the help of her maid of honor, keep her dress clean for the ceremony. Izzie’s veil was delicately adorned with these lovely pearls that brought a modern elegance to her vintage inspired satin gown. Truly a timeless and exquisite look and accentuated Izzie’s bridal radiance. SHE WAS GLOWING YOU GUYS!

Due to the rain we had an abbreviated portrait time so my second photographer and I divided to capture solo portraits of Ben and Izzie. I actually do this quite often, regardless of the weather, because it really seems to be the best use of portrait time. Solo portraits of the Bride and Groom are so important, and some of the most timeless wedding photos and never photos to skip.

We moved through bridal party portraits efficiently but still had the most fun. It was a large group but they were such a team and clearly so excited for their friends to finally get married. I will never get over the bridesmaids dresses with the colorful florals with the sunshine peaking out at them. So lovely! (Yay for colorful florals coming back!) I divided family portraits to half before the ceremony and half after. This allowed Izzie to go into hiding as guests arrived and to have some time to freshen up.

Ceremony on the Golf Course

Remember how I mentioned the clouds split? The storm was rumbling in the background the entire ceremony, not in a distracting way, but just enough to remind us of this sweet gift to be outside celebrating these two.

As Izzie walked with her dad down the aisle she got pretty emotional when she saw Ben’s face. Her dad gave her a really sweet gift, he paused. He stopped right there and let her have a moment, held her hand, lent a shoulder, and loved her in the most full way he could in that moment. And if that didn’t bring the tears, then I hear Ben’s voice call to her gently, “It’s okay, I’ve got you.” Izzie’s dad lovingly handed her hand to Ben’s, trusting Ben to take on a role that he had stewarded up to this point. Both sets of parents stood and laid hands on Ben and Izzie and prayed over them. Such an intentional and beautiful moment to start their ceremony. It honored the role that their parents have had in raising and discipling them and trusted God with their lives. The entire ceremony was handled with this same intentionality, love and care. And what a celebration as these two were announced as Mr. and Mrs. Meyers!

Ben and Izzie were able to enjoy cocktail hour with their guests while my second and I divided and conquered. While my second photographer was getting all those lovely candids of cocktail hour, I was in the reception space taking pictures of the beautiful details and floral arrangements before guests migrated their belongings to this area. Joy and Bloom did an absolutely stunning job decorating this space and perfectly executed Izzie’s floral vision. Right as guests were entering the reception space the sky opened and the rain finally came to stay for dinner.

One of my favorite parts of a wedding is the toasts… really the toast from the Father of the Bride. His toast was full of humor, love for welcoming Ben, his pride in the beautiful woman Izzy has become, and this lovely blessing:

Golden Hour at Blythefield Country Club

Time to PARTY!! I absolutely love when couples choose to have a live band and The Killer Flamingos did an awesome job. While everyone danced, Izzie took this time to change into her second dress from Watters. The perfect glitzy dress for a party! Ben had no idea there was going to be another dress and that wasn’t all… Izzie had some boudoir photos taken from friends on a polaroid and her bridesmaids took turns delivering these to Ben throughout the night.

The rain ended and I pulled them away from the party for about 10 minutes to get the last little bit of golden hour on the golf course, and to give them chance to take a breath. Izzie took her shoes off and walked barefoot through the wet lawn. As they strolled through the ceremony space, the chairs soaked from the rain, I stayed back to give them a private minute and allowed them to have space to reminisce. In that moment I remembered a quote from C.S. Lewis.

“A pleasure is only full grown when it is remembered.”

And I think that is probably one of the best reasons to have photos, they allow us to live each pleasure to the fullest and remember and share them for lifetimes. Ben and Izzie understood this in the moment and took time then to enjoy, what will in only a few hours be yesterday.

So as you enter into this next season, anticipate the moments that will become your favorite memories, slow down to every minute, and take lots of pictures!