Wedding Photography - Abi & David - Indianapolis, In
A Scenic Church Wedding
“One thing was clear, this wedding would be the cause of a lot of happy tears.”
—MORNING OF THE WEDDING
It was a humid summers morning in central Indiana. The day starts in excitement as decorations of white are unloaded in the parking lot. The lobby and the pews are quickly filled with flowers, tule, and photos of the future Mr. and Mrs. The camera is fired up and ready to capture every beautiful moment that this day had in store.
The first portion of our day was tasked to the getting ready photos. Tucked into a cozy building off to the side of the church, the Bride (Abi) had all sorts of space for her large group of family and friends who had shown to help marry her today. The room smelled crisp like hairspray, and a coat of it hung in the air.
I set up my gear and started to work my way through the room, taking photos and talking to people about how they knew the Bride and Groom. One thing was clear, this wedding would be the cause of a lot of happy tears.
In the bridal suite there was no shortage of laughter, makeup, and perfume! The girls spent their morning getting the full bridal-treatment as hair was curled and dresses were steamed. The love in that room was easy to capture no matter where you turned. There was no other way to describe the bride-to-be other than, glowing. Abi was truly a blushing bride, looking like a modern-day princess. Timeless.
The room was practically vibrating, buzzing and milling about sensationally with a whirlwind of wedding plans and glamour. Laughter and smiles filled the room, my own included. After spending some time taking some portraits with family and friends, our schedules pulled us to room dressed for the grand event,
Our next stop was with the man-of-the-hour, David, and his groomsmen.
The moments shared were meaningful but had no lack of goofing around. With his cuff-links shining, David was hoisted into the air to commemorate the occasion. After the fun, our day continued to the much-anticipated first-look.
““It was clear, these two were meant to find each other.””
I could practically feel the anticipation in the air while they stood there, David waiting for me to say that he could finally turn around. This moment is one of my favorites when I’m photographing a wedding. The true emotion and love that comes out when it’s just the bride and groom is something that is so special to be able to capture. Abi and David exchanged heartfelt vows that could have brought a tear to anyone’s eye. It was clear, these two were meant to find each other.
We took a few more moments for some remarkable formal shots there in the meadow. I can’t tell you how many times I said, “Wow, these are going to be incredible!” while I was shooting. This couple took a beautiful church meadow and made it into a fairytale wedding. Absolutely amazing.
We did some group photos and then the bells were ringing for these two love birds to go get married.
“A hush descended over the pews like the dew on a new morning.”
The stage was set for the main event. Guests were catching up with friends and family filling the room with a soothing lull. The sanctuary, roof arched in a way that felt as though you were walking into Noah's Ark itself, wrapped the moment in a warm oak-y golden cider glow. And just like that, the wedding party had begun to make their entrance, a hush descended over the pews like the dew on a new morning.
After David took his place at the alter, and the ring bearer and flower girl stole hearts down the aisle, all eyes were on their adorable entry. Abi was the picture of grace, so much so that you can even see David’s eyes welling up with joyous tears fighting to escape his eyes.
There were great passages and beautiful poems read by loved ones, the groomsmen were even able to fool the bride and groom into thinking that they had lost the rings!
You’ve got to watch those groomsmen, they always come up with something crafty! After months of planning and all of the excitement, the moment was here for David and Abi to say, “I do.”
After a deep passionate kiss that unsurprisingly mirrored the strength of their love, the newly married Mr. and Mrs. Spiegel were off down the aisle again. Only this time arms held high together as one. A new King and Queen ready to take on the world. Abi and David's smile were so contagious even we were smiling!
After the ceremony we hopped in the car to drive to the reception.
The reception was absolutely beautiful! Everyone was so excited to congratulate the newly married couple. People were dancing and singing, music was pumping through the speakers and even we were dancing to the music.
We got some great photos of the couple spending time with their friends and family. After a while the sun started to set so we slipped away from the reception to take some really incredible golden hour portraits, one of the best parts of the day for me.
Photographers never miss a chance to catch golden hour. That special time of day when the light has a warm and comfortable golden glow that you can feel in your soul. The kind of light that reminds you of happy summer memories, young love, and sunsets. But today it wouldn't shine for those things, it would shine to help Dave and Abi celebrate the birth of a beautiful union.
We shot until the sun started to dip lower towards the beckoning horizon. We hurried inside so Abi and David could cut the cake!
You would swear these two were meant for each other by destiny, I've never seen a cuter cake cutting ceremony. They look so happy!
Up next was their first dance! The couple looked a little nervous to be in front of such a big crowd!
The couple may have looked a little nervous to dance in front of so many people, but they walked out there with their chins held high and smiling; you could see that nervousness wash away as they found comfort in each others arms. The moment was absolutely beautiful.
They followed up with some beautiful father-daughter and mother-son dances as well. Tears streaming down cheeks and smiles ear to ear. The night continued with loud music and fun dancing, and a delicious dinner. The entire event was beautiful and orchestrated like a song.
I would also love to give an honorable mention to the girl who caught the bouquet, I'm not sure what your name was but your victory pose is truly inspirational. Congrats!
And even more importantly...
