The best weddings are always the ones where the bride and groom are so much in love, you can literally feel it in the air. It seems like the sun is shining and the birds are singing just for them. They can’t stop looking at each other, and they smile through their entire ceremony. I know that sounds like complete and utter cheesy fairytale nonsense, but I swear to you, it really does happen sometimes – and when it does, I fall in love with love all over again, each and every time.
Joanna and Nathaniel are one of those couples. Their love is contagious, and their wedding day was absolutely beautiful. They wanted their ceremony to be intimate, so they got married right in the backyard of Nathanial’s family’s home, surrounded by their closest friends and family! It could not have been more perfect. :)
Joanna gets ready for her big day!
She had her grandmother’s wedding ring sewn into her dress for good luck! What a cool idea!
Joanna and her dad make the walk down the aisle!
Ben got right behind Nathanial to grab this shot of Joanna’s entrance – great capture, Ben! Love it!
I love the look on Joanna’s face…”you’re mine now, bi-aaatch!” HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Sooooo cute!
Toward the end of the ceremony, Joanna’s maid of honor read Dr. Suess’s “Oh the Places You’ll Go.” Out of all the weddings we’ve been to, we’ve never heard that done as a reading before; it was absolutely perfect!
The cake cutting…
…and Nathaniel’s face post-cake smash! LOVE it!
Then, we were off to do some portraits of the bride and groom with the ultimate wedding photo prop – a classic, cherry red Chevy! We knew that the car would look awesome in pictures, but we didn’t really know how awesome until we saw it with our own eyeballs. WOW! We’re pretty happy with the way these turned out. ;)
Yay, super shiny red paint!!
I didn’t have a chance to grab a shoe shot before the ceremony, but these shoes are too fabulous for words; so, this shoe shot will have to do. You guys both look smokin’ hot! ;)
Joanna, you should probably take up modeling…just sayin’…
L-O-V-E this shot!
We wrapped things up with a little wedding party action!
I wasn’t joking when I said “action!!” Can you guess how happy we were to get shots of a wedding party bouncing on a trampoline? Pretty happy. ;)
Joanna and Nathaniel – thanks so much for choosing us to be a part of your wedding day! You two are such a great couple, and we really enjoyed working with you! :)
…and Ben met up with the guys at Trinity Church to grab some pre-ceremony groomsmen shots!
Trinity Church is an absolutely gorgeous place for a wedding ceremony. They’re not very “photography-friendly” – no flash allowed!! It was no sweat, though…we love a good challenge!
It seriously is such a beautiful church…
Okay, I totally love this. I almost always include a shot of “the kiss” in every wedding blog post; but, this shot (immeditately following “the kiss”) totally wins the prize for adorable-ness. Have you ever seen a happier bride and groom?
And, of course, they have the coolest beer taps EVER.
Shauna and Jay’s wedding party was ALL ABOUT having fun! They were great! ;)
Shauna even looks adorable with cake smooshed in her face…now, that’s talent!!
Two fabulously hilarious speeches…
…and a super cute first dance as husband and wife!!
L-O-V-E this shot!!
Love this one, too!! Jay’s face is priceless!
NEWLYWEDS!!! I love how happy Shauna looks in this shot. :)
The dance floor was bumpin’ all night long!
We managed to grab these two social butterflies just long enough to get a few night portraits on the Pearl Street balcony, and I’m SOOOOO glad we did!
Kristen and Brian’s daughter, Abby, was a very important part of their day. She held the prestigious title of “mini bride!” These are her darling wedding shoes. :)
Abby was less than thrilled about me sticking my camera in her face, but she did allow me to capture a few shots of her getting ready for the big day. I love this one!!
Kristen’s sister helps her put on her garter…
Ben grabbed this great shot of the boys right before they hopped in the limo to head over to the church!
Abby the mini bride and the other wedding kiddos were anxious to get the show on the road!!
Brian and his best man, waiting patiently for Kristen to make her walk down the aisle. :)
Aren’t they a STUNNING couple?? Seriously…AMAZING!!!
After the ceremony, we headed over to Hotel Utica. K and B’s wedding party was fabulous! For such a large group, in 97 degree weather, they did remarkably well. Great job, guys!
The mezzanine area of the Hotel Utica is perfect…
…as is the lobby, or grand foyer, or whatever it’s called. LOVE this shot!!
Then, we headed over to the beautiful grounds of The Masonic Home for a few more wedding party shots. This was one of our favorites!
Ben grabbed this shot while I was busy setting up the wedding party for another one. I am totally IN LOVE with it!!
There were a TON of amazing details at this wedding, (and you all know how much of a sucker I am for the details), so here are few of my fave detail shots.
After their first dance, Kristen and Brian both took a turn dancing with their daughter. It was just the sweetest thing EVER!
Totally action packed bouquet/garter toss shots…the flowers got major air!
Brian, rockin’ out to 
Ahhhh, night portraits…my FAVORITE!! I think these are particularly AWESOME night portraits, but I also think it has a lot to do with this particularly AWESOME couple. ;)
by Ayres Photography
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