Casey & Rhonda are two of the most real and kind people I’ve ever met. {And that’s saying a TON, because all of my clients are both amazing and nice.} They brought my second shooter, Sooji, and myself out to their little corner of the world, Philpot, Kentucky, for their Friendship Baptist Church wedding. Philpot, for those of you who don’t know, is home to some amazing properties & views, and close to some really awesome barbecue {and I’m obsessed with BBQ}.

Everything about their wedding felt like them. It was elegant, and natural, and real to who they were; seemingly effortless, and adorable. They kept us giggling the whole time, and even protected us from snakes like some kind of formally dressed superheroes.

Thank you, Casey & Rhonda. You guys were outstanding, and I can’t wait to travel back through and see you again.:)

Special thank you, as always, to my amazing second photographer, and one of my favorite people, Sooji Kimn.

Vendor and DIY info at the bottom, advice from Casey & Rhonda throughout.

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Most memorable moment from your wedding day?
Rhonda: Getting married, standing at the altar, and taking pictures on the ridge where we were engaged.
Casey: Seeing the doors open and Rhonda walk through, and when Rhonda brushed an eyelash from my eye after I read her my personal vows.

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Funniest moment from your wedding day?

Both: When we almost stepped on a snake after getting pictures on our ridge!
Note from Raven: Y’all, that really happened, and it was freaky. I don’t eff around with snakes. Rhonda & Casey were super cool about it, too!

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What were you most anxious/nervous about regarding your wedding day and how did it turn out?

Rhonda: The kiss. We were both nervous that something funny would happen.
Casey: I was nervous that I would mess up my vows somehow (even though I wrote them on a notecard).

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What advice you would give to other couples planning their wedding?
Both: Try not to let too much stress creep in and put a damper on the moment. Getting married is a wonderful event that deserves careful planning, but should also be enjoyed as a fun time as well. Try to enjoy every part of it! Plan early too! Vendors go quickly.P I N this to pinterest

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If you could do it all over, would you change anything?

Both: No. Everything worked out perfectly and even better than we imagined. We loved the build up, the ceremony, the people, the reception, everything.

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Both: Pick Raven;) Also, think about location and what type of pictures you want. What is the mood you are going for in your wedding? We wanted reverence, yet still a relaxed mood. Keeping this at the center of our plans helped us to decide what type of pictures we wanted.

Vendors
Sooji Kimn

i loved these two! thanks for having me - always love shooting with you <3

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This was our first time shooting Arizona wedding photography, which is only slightly different than Georgia wedding photography in that your time outside {or in the direct sunlight, anyway} comes in fits and starts. It’s not the completely oppressive humid heat that we get down here in the South, it’s the kind where you can FEEL your skin browning. Arizona as a whole was like visiting an alien planet, which was SO cool.

Straight off the plane, Nic & I felt like we were Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars, what with all the completely foreign plant life {even the animals were different!}. In fact, the first words out of my mouth when we landed were, “…where are the trees?”

Rebekah & Steve’s wedding was held on the Arizona State University campus, at the First United Methodist Church of Tempe, both ceremony & reception, and they DIY’d the hell out of this wedding. Knocking it out of the PARK with how much awesomeness they did by themselves and with the help of friends and family. I L-O-V-E a book/literature theme!

The reception centerpieces were stacks of books that also doubled as favors the guests got to rifle through to take home. {I went home with Eats, Shoots & Leaves, which I was SO delighted about.} And we all even braved the infamous Arizona dry heat to grab some portraits outside. {Let me tell you, ya’ll. Dry heat is STILL REALLY HOT.}

This couple and their families had us in stitches pretty much the whole night. Unless we were discussing hockey, then it was serious business. But the rest of the time was definitely laughing and nerdy references.

Thank you, Rebekah & Steve. You guys are awesome.:)

Vendor and DIY info at the bottom, advice from Bekah & Steve throughout.

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Most memorable moment from your wedding day?
Bekah: Snapshots - the incredible, roiling butterflies as the pre-ceremony music played, running out of the bridal room when Sweet Child of Mine came on, realizing halfway through that my concerns about being distracted and not looking at Steve the whole ceremony were unfounded and that I had tunnel vision for him, the small moment after our photos as we took a breath and got ready to walk into the reception, rushing around the room to kiss the two glass clinkers, taking the photo with my girls from high school, and an unexpected hug bringing me to tears. (top memory is right before going into the reception, though)

Steve: The toasts; Eddie and Ali did a great job.

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Funniest moment from your wedding day?
Bekah: Probably the speeches, although I can’t remember one moment being funnier than the rest. Oh! And making joking references with Raven and Nic that we all got!

Steve: Mark looking at his “watch” in the picture of the groom party.

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What were you most anxious/nervous about regarding your wedding day and how did it turn out?
Bekah: Early on, I was anxious about the guest count. Middle of planning was anxiety about invitations (see below) and videography. On the wedding day, my Matron of Honor’s husband got stuck by a wildfire on the road. He also had agreed to video the wedding. My mom stayed up most of the night and all that morning finishing the alterations on my dress, delivering it about 10 minutes before our First Look. Those weren’t things I anticipated, and stressed me a little, but I hit my wedding zen pretty hard by then.

Steve: Afraid I would say my vows wrong or drop the ring or say something else stupid when repeating after the pastor.

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What advice you would give to other couples planning their wedding?
Bekah: “The people want options” but sometimes you don’t. Not every detail of the wedding has to silently convey exactly the dynamic and tone of your relationship and personalities. My biggest breakdown was actually over the invitations and whether people would think they were good enough. Turns out I was panicking about my guests thinking my relationship was good enough, as evidenced by our invites. Sticking to our budget also helped, because I got what worked for the situation and what we could afford, with no lusting after things other people had.

Steve: Marry somebody who is a good planner.

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If you could do it all over, would you change anything?
Bekah: Yes and no. I would order more food, because I underestimated our guests’ love of Thai. I wish I had done a little dancing, but I also wish I could have spent more time with everyone who came to celebrate with us. The last thing would be to just settle down a little and hunker down in the bridal room instead of flitting back and forth taking care of things. I think that would have allowed for more bridal shots, which I think I would have liked. I like feeling pretty, and Raven does a good job capturing that.

Steve: Maybe order a little more food, but otherwise I wouldn’t change anything. It went well.

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Any tips for future couples on how to prepare for the wedding photos?
Bekah: Communicate with your photographer(s) and tell them what they can expect, as well as what you want. The vendor/client relationship is a partnership, albeit a temporary one, and it works like other relationships in that you get the most out of it if you are honest and open.

Steve: Tell your brother to wear a watch.

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While looking through the books-centerpieces, Rebekah found a love postcard her mother sent her father 20 years ago!

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Vendors

  • Decor - No flowers. Centerpiece books from Goodwill and Bookman’s, silhouette bookmarks designed by me, printed by FedEx.
  • Caterer - Thai Basil
  • Cakes/Desserts - Desserts DIY’d, cheese wheels from Whole Foods (bottomlayer3-monthagedManchego,middlelayerBrillatSavarin,toplayerherbedCapricho goat cheese)
  • Venues - Wedding and reception at First United Methodist Church of Tempe, rehearsal dinner at Oregano’s
  • DJ - DIY’d w/Steve Jobs (aka my iPod)
  • Hair Stylist/Makeup Artist - DIY’d
  • Wedding Planner - Me! And I love me. I also used the APW spreadsheets, tweaked to my needs.
  • Dress/Clothing - Craigslist for the dress, Men’s Wearhouse for the tuxes
  • Accessories/Jewelry -
    • My mom made my veil from her grandmother’s wedding slip
    • Gold flats are from Payless
    • Baseball boutonniere is from Sports Roses
    • Silk hops boutonnieres from jcmartanddesign
    • The handkerchiefs are from Bumblebee Linens, embroidered by a friend.
  • Rings - Etsy for my art deco ring, Brent & Jess for our fingerprint bands
  • Other -
    • Linens purchased online
    • Chafing dishes and drink dispensers DIY’d
    • Plates, silverware, glasses, and dessert tiers were from Y-knot rentals in Mesa.
    • Ribbon wands (ribbon from Ruffler’s Roost), music flowers, aisle runners, string lights, and gold lanterns all DIY’d
    • Invitations made on Word, printed at FedEx
    • Guest book made on Shutterfly.
Rebekah Richgels

Yay Hooray! So glad we got married and invited you to be there!

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Ellie & Chris were originally planning to elope, but decided instead on an intimate wedding in an art gallery in downtown Lawrenceville, the Lona Gallery. It was full of DIY touches, sentiment, and overflowing with emotion, just the way I like it.

We started out at their home, where they got ready separately, then had a “first look” on their back porch. We hid inside to capture everything through the windows, which added a voyeuristic effect and allowed Ellie & Chris that much more privacy. We then gathered our things and headed to the square, then onto the gallery.

Thank you, Ellie & Chris. You know you’re awesome, but I’m telling you anyway: you’re AWESOME.

Vendors listed at the bottom, badass advice and the story from Ellie throughout.

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Most memorable moment from your wedding day?
Including photos, ceremony and the reception, our entire wedding lasted two hours. It took place two blocks from our house on a bright and chilly Wednesday morning, so we took the pictures at our house, and the drive to the venue took five minutes. The brevity was absolutely perfect for us, and I loved the casual feel of it all. After the brief event, my husband and I climbed into a rental car and took off for an eight hour road-trip to Washington, D.C. for our honeymoon. That roadtrip, by far, was my favorite part of my wedding: driving along the highway, chatting with my new HUSBAND and listening to a George Carlin audiobook. We stopped for Carolina BBQ off the highway at one point, chowing down at this hole-in-the-wall place in my wedding dress at 3pm on a weekday. Total perfection.

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Funniest moment from your wedding day?
One of the things I worked hardest on was compiling excellent music for the wedding-particularly, of course, the ceremony music. The music for the walk down the aisle and during the ceremony was perfect. However, after we kissed, everyone clapped, and the WRONG song came on as we walked back down as Mr. + Mrs. for the first time! I’d had planned the song “Step Out,” by Jose Gonzalez. I want you to listen to that song and think how perfect that would have been. Instead, some hokey drum beat came on, and I just looked at my husband and laughed, “What the hell song is this?!” The applause drowned out the “song,” and I was way too much in total bliss to even care. After all, I was married! That was the point! Fuck the tunes! We totally laughed it off.

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What were you most anxious/nervous about regarding your wedding day and how did it turn out?
My mother and I have a rocky history, and she has a track record of creating drama. Because of this I was extremely concerned that there was a chance she’d cause a scene at my wedding.

My husband and I are both non-religious and opted for a completely secular ceremony. There would be no mention of god or spirituality, and no prayer. My mother is extremely religious, and because of this I knew there was a chance she might insert herself into the ceremony, offering a prayer over our new marriage, or getting angry over our very human-centric address. This may sound extreme, but to me that would have been devastating, as I associate religion with a great deal of emotional pain that I’ve endured over the years, and I did not want anything of it at my wedding.

This sparked hours of debate and concern between me and my brother with our significant others, coming to terms with the possibilities of drama and how we could respond. The only thing I could do was let go and hope for the best, and believe that even if a prayer was said, that wouldn’t affect anything, and we could simply move on. (That took a great deal of swallowing my pride…)

In the end, nothing actually came of it. My mother was respectful and polite during the ceremony, despite the differences in our beliefs. It was a huge relief.

Unfortunately, though, at the end of the morning when we were taking family pictures my mother did stir up a bit of drama by very publicly refusing to participate in pictures, which was awkward for my guests. But in the end I was thankful that the drama was delayed until the end of the event, rather than during the most important part. She later apologized.

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What advice would you give to other couples planning their wedding?
I just want people to know that it’s okay to do things differently, to acknowledge what makes your situation unique, no matter what. It’s okay if your family isn’t coming, or if only you have bridesmaids and your husband has no groomsmen. It’s okay to have a morning wedding, or a midnight wedding, to elope or to not wear a wedding dress. Jeans are okay. Pizza is okay. EVERYTHING IS OKAY. Literally no one cares as much about your wedding as YOU DO—and if they do, their priorities are totally not in the right place, and that STILL is not your problem. You do you, babe. Unapologetically!

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If you could do it all over, would you change anything?
More flowers, louder dress, and a shot of whiskey before the whole thing!

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Any tips for future couples on how to prepare for the wedding photos?
Discuss your vision for the pictures with your spouse and your photographer in advance. Be candid about your bad angles, your good angles, and the parts of your body that make you self-conscious. I was straight up with Raven: “Woman, don’t you dare show me any pictures where I have weird arm fat!” And she didn’t!

We also explained to Raven that my husband doesn’t like being told to smile and be stiff and weird in pictures, and she was so cool about it, giving us really specific things to do to make the shot (“Whisper something dirty in his ear!” was my personal favorite. GREAT facial reactions from those shots!! Ha).

Oh, and be specific: if you LOVE a certain type of picture, your photographer can’t read your brain. Ask and they can deliver. That’s the awesome thing about the fact that you’re paying them: it’s a service, and you can make requests. Yay!

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Vendors

  • Florist - Wholesale {Note from Ellie: People, absolutely I recommend doing your own flowers. It is SO MUCH CHEAPER, and you can do things exactly how YOU want them.}
  • Cakes/Desserts: Blue Rooster Bakery
  • Venues - The Lona Gallery
  • Dress/Clothing - David’s Bridal + Men’s Wearhouse
  • Accessories/Jewelry - Necklace from David’s Bridal
  • Rings - Amazon
  • Officiant - The Tattoed Minister (Hannah Hill) {Note from Ellie: Despite the title of “minister,” she performed our ceremony 100% secularlarly. Hannah is awesome!}

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