Dylan and Kori had what seemed like a totally normal New Year’s Eve wedding, though getting there was anything but normal and predictable! As you are probably aware, weddings are one of the sectors of life and business that have been most impacted by this coronavirus pandemic. To say the last year hasn’t been ideal is a pretty big understatement. Dylan and Kori were feeling it to the extreme with Iowa’s governor proclamations that prevented gatherings of more than 15 people in November and December. Fifteen people came in slightly under the 250-300 that they had originally planned on. There was about a six week period where nobody was sure whether or not this day was even going to happen! The restrictions were lifted just a couple weeks before the wedding day, and I know Dylan and Kori were immensely blessed by that because they had basically no backup plan. I chuckled the day that the restrictions were lifted, because almost instantly I got an email from Kori saying, “We can have the wedding!”
We started the day getting ready at Saged Soul salon in Burlington, where the girls had their hair and makeup done. It was a big enough space for all the girls to congregate in, and for us to shoot details and Kori getting into her dress as well.
From there, we headed to St John’s Church for Kori’s first look with Dylan. It was a cold day. Not brutally cold, but not necessarily comfortable either. We did manage to do all of their portraits and wedding party photos outside though, thanks to the tenacity of Kori, Dylan and their bridal party. We took 3-4 warm up breaks and shot in small increments at a time to try to keep everyone as comfortable as we could. There was a snow and ice storm that had come through a couple days before the wedding, so that gave us a unique visual element to feature in the photos. We made a last minute call at the end of our portrait time to head out to a riverfront park to get some more expansive wintertime snowiness, and I’m glad we squeezed that in because I think it looks awesome!
We headed back to the church to get warmed up before the wedding ceremony. A bird was on the loose in the sanctuary and provided some pre-ceremony entertainment for those in the pews as it flew back and forth from the altar to the balcony. It watched most of the ceremony from the balcony. No one got pooped on as far as I know. Dylan kept it together really well for the ceremony, but the bridesmaids were a wreck as Kori made her way down the loooong church aisle. After a few vows and some exchanging of rings, these two were married! What seemed so uncertain had finally happened. Now it was time to let loose and celebrate.
The reception was at Pzazz! in Burlington, Iowa. It was a great venue for a New Year’s Eve party and it looked beautiful. Kori and Dylan are in the cattle industry, so it only made sense that they would treat everyone to a most excellent steak dinner. They had Felix & Fingers dueling piano show provide entertainment for the night and they did a phenomenal job keeping the party going. They had great energy and gave the crowd plenty of opportunities to bust a move on the dance floor or belt out some Garth Brooks from their seats around the room.
Dylan and Kori, thank you for choosing to have us be a part of your big day! We were grateful for the chance to work, just as you guys were grateful to get married and celebrate! We wish you guys nothing but the best!
Hair/Makeup – Saged Soul
Flowers – Hy-Vee Burlington
Desserts – Ive Bake Shoppe
Dueling Pianos – Felix & Fingers
Videographer – Sweet Briar Creative
Dress – Shaffer’s Des Moines
Party Bus – All in One Place
Photographers – Carter Photography
