We had the privilege of documenting Josh and Jess’s wedding at the always beautiful Cedar Ridge Winery, in between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. Apparently, their wedding date was the most popular date of 2018, which is understandable since it was right in the peak of the fall season. When you book a date more than a year in advance though, one thing you can’t predict is the weather. A furious wind blew all day, ushering in cold air from the north, and moving many of their wedding day festivities indoors. The wind was so angry, that when we came home from the wedding, we found our patio furniture scattered all over the neighbor’s yard! It didn’t matter though. Because these two knew that this day wasn’t about anything that the wind could disrupt. I think we had some pretty good backup options to work with as well. 🙂 Given Jess’s love for music, we moved their first look to the Paramount Theatre, and even captured a few dramatic photos in the theater itself. We spent a little time outdoors when we got out to the winery, but with things not exactly being the most comfortable, we worked in hyper speed for the benefit of all involved! I don’t think you can tell at all, and if you’re going to be pinched for time and need guaranteed winner photos, you can’t do much better than the environment that Cedar Ridge affords!
Their ceremony was originally planned to be outside at Cedar Ridge, but they made the quite wise decision to move that indoors. Again though, this day was about far more than anything the wind could derail, and they genuinely knew and believed that. You can give me love, laughter and tears in any environment, and the photos will be amazing, because they will be photos that you can feel. I loved getting to document how in love these two were, and just how excited they were to commit themselves to one another. Jess had several surprises planned for Josh throughout the day, including playing a recording of her own singing while she walked down the aisle. They had a brilliantly choreographed first dance, and Jess followed that up with another complex routine with her dad for the father/daughter dance! It was such a fun day to shoot and be a part of! Josh and Jess, thank you so much for choosing to have us document your wedding day! May your married life together always be full of joy and love (and fun surprises). We wish you guys all the best!
Hair – Elevate Salon
Flowers – Etsy (sheet music flowers)
Cake – Iced Bakery
DJ – A Special Event DJ (Dustin)
Dress – Hope’s Bridal
Photographers – Carter Photography
