Adam and Brittany were blessed with a beautiful wedding day. It was basically perfect. Except for maybe some mosquitoes and a little discomfort caused by Adam’s shoes. More on that later. They had God at the center of the whole day, which is always a delight and encouragement to us. I think this was the first wedding we have shot for a couple that attends our church in Cedar Rapids, so it was fun to share that community.
We started the day with the girls having hair and makeup done at Elevate Salon on the north side of Cedar Rapids. We watched Brittany get her hair, makeup and nails done all in the same chair. It was really quite impressive. From there, we traveled downtown to Eastbank where both the wedding ceremony and reception were located. Brittany selected a beautiful mermaid style wedding dress that had lots of detail and buttons to fasten in the back. As it turned out, she had the extravagant puzzle of buttons on her dress fastened 2-3 times because it was so tough to get them all lined up correctly! Mom needed a shower afterward. Meanwhile, the guys were chilling outside trying to figure out how to make suspenders function correctly. With 2-3 dress attempts, they had plenty of time to get those suspenders perfect. 🙂
Once everyone was dressed, it was first look time. Before Adam got his chance, it was Brittany’s dad that got to go first. More suspender time for Adam. Dad’s first look with his daughter as a bride has become one of my favorite moments to photograph because it clearly brings back so many memories all at once. When Adam got to see his bride, he was blown away, as you can see in his face below.
We walked a block and a half or so for some photo locations. Brittany was totally chilling in her Air Jordan shoes. Adam did not choose to wear Air Jordans, and Adam was not totally chilling in his shoes by the end. He endured it fine, but he probably wished he had some sneakers on as well. We were able to capture some pretty cool city vibes right around the Eastbank area. We had some more rugged brick backdrops to work with and a cleaner, more sophisticated look that we got from using the building that Adam works in. Whatever works!
The ceremony was very nice, and again, centered on the Lord. We love because He first loved us was one of the main gospel centered points that pastor Richard taught on. The space that they had the ceremony in at Eastbank was very photogenic. Lots of natural light coming in, and a super simple palette. It was nicely accented by the modern altar pieces that they built. It looked really great! There was a cocktail hour with some great hors d’oeuvres available as we captured some family photos. As Adam and Brittany were introduced into the reception, they went directly into their first dance and parent spotlight dances. Toasts followed afterward with lots of laughs and some tears as well.
We escaped for a few photos at sunset. Hopefully they are beautiful and appreciated, because I know the mosquitoes were doing their best to ruin the sexiness of the moment. What is usually the most serene and photogenic time of the day turned into a frantic bug dodging circus. The night finished with dancing, an ice cream truck and a wide variety of Need Pizza. Told you pretty much everything was perfect!
Adam and Brittany, thank you so much for choosing to have us as part of your wedding day! May the Lord bless you and keep you all your days as you enjoy a lifetime of love together.
Hair/Makeup – Elevate Salon
Flowers – Eastbank
Catering & Cake – Bread Garden Market
DJ – Riley Mullane
Dress – Hope’s Bridal
Videographers – Benoit Films
Photographers – Carter Photography
Ice Cream Truck – Moo Moo’s
Late Night Pizza – Need Pizza
