liz + zack // Becker Farms Wedding
Filed in weddings shot by Ayres Photography on atIf you’ve been following along with our blogging and social media for a little while, you’ll probably have noticed by now that the core of our mission is to document the beautiful emotional connection that our couples share with their families and friends. While a wedding day is often thought of to be a celebration of the bride and groom, it’s really more a celebration of family. Celebrating the family members who made us who we are today, remembering and honoring those who are no longer with us, celebrating the joining of two separate families into one, and of course, celebrating the birth of a brand new family unit. Liz and Zack certainly had no shortage of any of these things on their wedding day. Liz wore her family’s 1959 heirloom wedding gown with great pride, needing only a few minor adjustments, and accompanied by very special heirloom jewelry. Zack and his father took the time to restore his great grandfather’s 1941 tractor specifically to have on the premises, not just a great addition to the setting at Becker Farms, but a beautiful reminder of the bond that still stands strong between the generations in his family.
Read along to find out more about Liz and Zack, including how they met (mini breakdown: Liz sees. Liz likes. Liz conquers), as well as reading about all of the sweet little ways they incorporated their family into so much of their big day. We love these two! And hope you guys do, too!
Liz: “My ceremony gown was a family heirloom, first worn by my dad’s mom in 1959 and then again by my mother in 1987. I’d always figured I would wear it on my wedding day, to keep the tradition going, and to know that I was marrying the man of my dreams in the same dress my mom married my dad in. The dress hasn’t altered much over the years. It originally had long lace sleeves when my grandma wore it, then my mom replaced those with the short, poofy ones classic to 80s weddings. I chose to take off the sleeves entirely. Additionally, underneath the skirt of the dress is a medallion of fabric cut from my other grandmother’s wedding dress, so both my grandmas were present even though only one is still with us today.“
Liz: “I wore my grandmother (Mimi)’s pearls, which my mom and all her sisters wore on their wedding days. I also wore a gold and ruby bracelet that my grandfather bought my Mom. It was one of the last gifts he gave her before he passed away.“
Liz: “Our First Look had me in tears immediately. I couldn’t believe how handsome Zack looked, like, that’s my husband!!! I get to MARRY that man! Every time I see him I still hear trumpets. We highly suggest doing a First Look. The amount of time it saves after the ceremony and the less stress it involves is totally worth it. Having that private moment with your soon-to-be spouse is really special. And I still cried when I saw him at the end of the aisle, so none of that magic is lost. Plus, you get to enjoy cocktail hour!“
Zack: “I love the book Liz made me. It means a lot that she put all the time and effort into making something that special for me.“
Liz: “Zack and I met on the first day of orientation for our freshman year at Alfred University (August 25, 2011 to be exact!). I had gone to the dining hall with my roommate and a friend for dinner. Zack and his roommate sat down at our table — they were 20′ long tables — and they sat a little ways away from us. I invited them to sit closer to us so we could all chat and they moved down but both sat on the same side of the table. I told ‘the one with light hair’ (that was Zack) to move to the other side of the table so I could talk to him. I moved down, sat across from him, and asked him rapid-fire questions about where he was from, major, minor, dorm, hobbies, etc. I then told him he should come over and watch a movie, took his phone and put my number in it, and then told him we should go to the orientation activities together. He obliged to all of it with good humor for having been basically harassed by some random girl during dinner.“
Liz: “Zack’s family has always wanted to go look for moose in my home state of New Hampshire, so we went with his parents on Halloween weekend to NH. We stayed at my parents’ house. Saturday night I was upstairs getting ready to go out for Halloween with my best friend when Zack’s mom called me and my friend downstairs. Both our families, and Zack, were sitting in the dining room, Zack had put on a nice shirt, and he had this smug smile on his face. He then got up and walked towards me with his hands behind his back, so at this point I knew what was happening. He proposed, I said yes, we got in costume and went out and celebrated our engagement with Halloween festivities!“
Liz: “Zachary and his dad restored his great-grandfather’s 1941 John Deere Model B tractor for the wedding — years ago I told Zack I wanted it to be at the wedding, and he made it happen!“
Zack: “Even though the tractor didn’t run I’m still really glad we got pictures with it and everyone enjoyed it. The tractor means a lot to me.“
Liz: “Right before we walked down the aisle, my dad told me he had something important to tell me. And then as we were walking down the aisle he started to quote a line from one of our favorite movies, Moonstruck, and it was hilarious.“
Liz: “The poem read during the ceremony, E.E. Cumming’s ‘I Carry Your Heart (I Carry It In My Heart)’ is one of my favorite poems by my favorite poet. I know it by heart and have for years.“
Zack: “During the vows, after I said ‘I, Zachary, take you, Elizabeth’, Liz said ‘I, Zachary, take you, Zachary’ – it was funny!“
Liz: “We both come from very close, large families, so we place a very high value our families. We place high value on honesty and openness. We’ve never allowed for stagnancy in our relationship because we believe in fluidity and growing together. We also really value quality time. Kindness, communication, gratitude, all these things are so important to us.“
Liz: “I loved being surrounded by the most important people in our lives and just feeling absolutely loved and supported. The joy that weddings bring is contagious and being able to share that with everyone who was made me so happy.“
Liz: “Being able to incorporate so many personal touches into the day was important to us. We’re both very family-oriented and creative/handy, so wherever we could make things more personal, we tried our best. We DIYed the programs, centerpieces, and favors! The centerpieces I owe to my mom, who snagged all of the books we used from a library sale for a total of about $20! Some of my favorite books of all time were used, which gave it a personal touch too. I had our cake stand custom made by my incredibly talented ceramicist friend and former roommate, Zoey. She even painted our cats onto the stand!“
Liz: “My reception dress belonged to a family friend and originally it had a long full skirt. I knew I wanted something short for the reception so we had the seamstress cut the skirt short and take off the lace peplum waist and that was that. Considering how hot the day was, I’m really glad I had a short dress!“
Zack: “All of the speeches were wonderful and really pinpointed how we are really good together and everyone knew we would get married.“
Liz: “We used my parent’s wedding cake knife to cut our cake, which was a beautiful moment.“
Liz: “Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors provided the music and lyrics for ‘I Like to Be with Me when I’m with You.’ Our dear friend Katy sent me the song back in 2012 and it just stuck as the ‘Zack and Lizzie song.’ I had made a playlist of potential first dance songs and we listened to them all but this one was always the one. I asked my brother, Matt, to learn it on guitar to play it for us and my friend Chloe to sing. I loved hearing Matt play guitar growing up, and Chloe is a fabulously talented singer in addition to being an amazing friend. The combination of the two of them playing it was incomparable. The first dance was such a beautiful experience. I’m so glad we had Matt & Chloe performing it because it made an already special song even more so. Special shout out to my friend and former roommate, Steph, for letting us borrow her guitar!“
Liz: “I’m not sure how Big Star’s ‘Thirteen’ became my dad’s and my song, but music has been a really important piece of our relationship. Whether it was Springsteen or the Beatles or George Strait, our bond is forged in great music and always has been. In my high school yearbook in the baby picture section, my dad used a lyric from the song as my quote. The song has always been ours.“
Zack: “My mom and I danced to Kenny Loggin’s ‘The House on Pooh Corner.’ It was really nice dancing to something my mom used to sing to me as a baby to help me fall asleep.“
Some great advice from Liz: “Weddings are stressful AF. It’s so easy to get caught up in family politics and trying to please everyone, but the day is about 2 people: the bride and groom. For the most part, everyone else is irrelevant. That being said, don’t be afraid to delegate! Get your bridal party involved and even if they’re small things like scheduling nail appointments or an eyebrow waxing, if it’s less stress on you as the bride and can be handled by someone else, let them help. I am so grateful for everyone in the wedding party and my family who all chipped in with preparations and setup and the DIY pieces.“
And in conclusion, some very sweet words from Liz and Zack about working with us: “Working with Jenn and Ben is an amazing experience. They are so grounded and dedicated and for us having a wedding party of 16, you need a firm hand on the reins. The vision they have for their photography, to tell a story through pictures, is the exact mindset you want in a wedding photographer. Pictures that may be posed never feel canned or corny, and they capture all of the joy of the day in gorgeous pictures you will be glad to have forever. They’re also a beautiful example of a happy and strong marriage, which is such a great vibe to have for your wedding day! We can’t sing their praises highly enough.“
Looking for more from Becker Farms?? Click here!
Wedding Vendors Include:
Venue: Becker Farms
Hairstylist: Sarah Chatham
Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal
Groom’s Look: Men’s Wearhouse
Invitations: Minted
Florist: Lipinoga Florist
Cake: Becker Farms
Music: Saxman Slim
