South Florida Wedding | Ali + David | December 16, 2017`

Although it's taken us a little while to get this wedding out on the blog, it holds a special place in our hearts for so many reasons.  One of those is that it was the wedding of my (Carol's) cousin, whose brother was the ring bearer in our wedding (crazy how time flies!!).  Another reason is because this wedding took place less than 2 months after mama passed and it's a wedding she had planned to attend and celebrate with us all.  I know it  was a bittersweet day for so many of us to be celebrating without mama but it was a bit therapeutic to not only attend the wedding but also be able to capture each special moment of the day.

And the details were so lovely! The best part was that so many friends and family worked together and used their gifts to make this such a beautiful day for the bride!  This lavender bouquet was handmade by the bride's sisterinlaw's family.  How precious is that? It was an amazing example of how a wedding can be whatever you want it to be. It does not have to be outrageously extravagant to be memorable.  The flowers fade, the cake gets eaten, the decorations get thrown away, but the photos will be passed down for many generations to cherish and treasure.  Each bride's wedding can be made so special with such little fuss. It just takes a bit of creativity (and a little bit of love from friends and family) to add those special touches.

Ali got her dry sense of humor from her Dad (top right photo) Heehee. She was so relaxed and calm tho during getting ready photos…and cracking me up!

These kiddos were just the cutest!

Mother/Daughter Photos…Always so special

Oh my goodness! 2 of my favorite people! Watching a mother and father walk the aisle is such a beautiful moment! And the look on their faces says, “We did it!!!” For parents, this is such a culmination of so many years poured into your child and now this day you hand them off to another soul. I imagine exciting and terrifying - all rolled into one big moment! Ali’s parents (Rick and Nat) were beaming with pride…as they should have been! They have raised 4 amazing children.

Is there anything more delightful than an adorable flower girl lost in her own little world?

Then the moment we all had waited for…the moment the groom notices his bride enter and his face lights up! It’s always so hard to keep our composure and keep shooting thru tears. Especially at this wedding

This photo just takes my breath away. My mama would be so proud of her little brother, walking his daughter down the aisle. God is so good to give us such beautiful things to celebrate in the midst of our grief.

These 2 little guys are cousins! So not only are these hilarious photos, but to us, they have a whole new meaning! See the little guy on the bottom right? He’s the son of our ring-bearer (my cousin) at our wedding. At our wedding, he was so well-behaved but kept turning the “ring pillow” upside down to see if the rings would fall off! Ha-ha. His son looks so much like him and also has his sense of humor. It took us back 22 years! Haha

The officiant is HER BROTHER, Nate. (our ring-bearer)!!!! Does it get any sweeter than that? I can’t imagine my son officiating his sisters’ weddings. Nate did such a great job!

This Kid!!! Haha. He’s such a cutie!

Oh the pride of a mom and dad who have given all they have for years to their children and loved them so well and now get to see them becoming one with their beloved.

The church was stunning!

They did it!!!!

Another photo that takes my breath away! This is Ali with my grandma…my mama’s mom! She is so near and dear to my heart. She was so full of joy this day, celebrating her beautiful grand-daughter, even tho she was missing her daughter terribly. This woman has loved and prayed for all her grandchildren for so many years and God has blessed her with a long life and so much love.

My Family!!! It’s seldom (if ever) that we are in front of the lens at a wedding, but thanks to my amazing husband, who has perfected the art of a timed photo, we were able to be in this family photo (we are in the top left & our beautiful daughters are bottom right).

Isn’t she lovely?

St. Marys Episcopal Church in Stuart, Florida was so beautiful!!! We were so excited to have the opportunity to photograph a wedding there.

The Wedding Party!!! They were so much fun to photograph and hang out with!

One of Allen’s favorite things to do (at any shoot) is so play around a bit with his camera and posing and capture something unique and interesting that others may not have. This was one of those moments. I love how it turned out!

Ooo-La-La!!! Check them out! They look GOOD!!

Such a gorgeous venue! We always build a little bit of buffer time into the timeline for our couples so we can play around a bit after the ceremony and get a few fun shots for them to cherish.

That smile, tho!!! She’s so radiant! Gosh, Ali! We are so proud of you, girl!

We couldn’t resist those stained-glass window photos. Ali has such grace and beauty and that gorgeous light shining thru just complimented her perfectly!

One of our favorites

The reception, yall!!! Oh my goodness at the lavender details! The reception took place at their church (where Ali’s dad, Rick is the pastor). They transformed it into a luxurious lavender banquet hall! And the food was RIDICULOUSLY delicious and beautifully displayed as well. Carla O’Donnell (the caterer) really outdid herself!

The toasts never disappoint. Always full of laughter and tears. This one leaned heavily on the laughter side! Loved it!

The first dance…filled with so much love …and humor! hehe

The daddy/daughter dance gets us every time! These two were so much fun to watch. They both have the most amazing sense of humor. Each time we watch these tho, we know we are one step closer to giving our girls away and have to remind ourselves to keep on breathing (and cherishing each little moment with them).

And the Mother/Son dance. Oh my goodness! I can’t even go there, but I love watching these. And this one was so sweet.

The room was so romantic and elegant! Amazing the magic that takes place when a loving family and group of friends come together!

Be still my heart! I had to sneak this one in of my girls and my grandma! So very precious

There’s always one! LOL

or two!. heehee

Every marriage needs a husband and a wife with a great sense of humor! Looks like they have that nailed! Ha-ha

Watching Ali dance the night away so elegantly, yet with such delight, was an absolute joy. Ali, you sure made a beautiful bride!

Oh! My! Goodness!!!! Guess who caught the bouquet? That’s our middle daughter in the teal dress, holding that bouquet. What?! Oh! And that’s our firstborn daughter on the right with the shocked expression! haha. It’s always so much fun to have our daughters along with us at a wedding. But catching the bouquet? Um. Nope! We’re not at all ready for that. LOL

Our beautiful girls and their beautiful cousin!

These 2! I knew when I saw this, that this photo had to make the blog! This is the officiant, Nate and his gorgeous wife, Savana! As mentioned before, he is the brother of bride, and ring-bearer at our wedding. And she? A sweet childhood friend of mine (Carol’s). I went to school with her and her sisters. They are like family to me. These two have been thru so much together in the last few years, yet their joy never fades. They continually reflect Christ and love each other and others so well. This is also one of my favorites (in case you couldn’t tell).

Nora! Their daughter! This is what happens when Mom and Dad are busy dancing with each other!!! (insert gut-busting laugh)

That’s all folks! It’s a done deal! Woohoo!

Love, love, love Ali’s excitement over being hitched to the love of her life! Doesn’t get any sweeter!

Okay! Maybe it gets a little bit sweeter. Hee-Hee. These cousins are just the cutest! That’s a whole lotta love goin on, yall!

And that's a wrap!  If you would have told us that Mama wouldn't be at this wedding, and we would shoot it so shortly after her passing, yet our hearts would be full (and we would be able to actually do this), we wouldn't have believed you. Yet, our great God is full of mystery and love and compassion and gave us the strength we needed to do this, and also filled our hearts with joy!  

We are so proud of you, Ali & David!  Keep loving each other and never forget that you are "for each other" not against each other. Keep laughing together and enjoy the adventure of marriage! We love you both!

Allen & Carol

VENDORS:

CEREMONY SITE:     St. Mary's Episcopal Church - Stuart, Florida

RECEPTION SITE:      Life Church - Jensen Beach, Florida

FLOWERS:                    Bethany Nauman (sister-in-law of officiant)

CAKE:                            Kristin Tilghman (friend)

CATERER:                     A Culinary Caper - Carla O' Donnell (friend of Bride's family)