I’ll tell you what I saw on Keegan and Madi’s wedding day—people that laughed hard, people that cried hard, and people that loved hard. The reception space was immaculate. The flowers were beautiful. The hospitality was awesome. But the most important thing for me to capture on a wedding day are the people. Hopefully you experience what the day felt like through these photos.
We started the day getting ready at the Coralville Marriott, which is also where we returned for the wedding reception later that evening. Immediately after getting into her dress, Madi first shared a first look with her dad. Madi, mom, sisters, (and I’m pretty sure dad too), were in tears because of the moment. What I enjoyed is that they had thought of meaningful gifts and mementos to share with each other throughout the day. In this case, Madi gave her dad a tie that had a very sweet note stitched on the back of it. He gave her a ring for her something blue. And mom gave her a handkerchief that was her grandma’s. All of these things are moments they will never forget. I don’t have thaaat many crying photos included in this post, but trust me, there’s a lot more where those came from.
After sharing that family moment, Keegan and Madi had their first look before we took portraits of them and the wedding party. We spent much of the day watching the weather, and to Keegan and Madi’s credit, they totally rolled with it and didn’t let it ruin their day. We didn’t end up taking photos where we originally planned, but things worked out beautifully. I appreciate the trust of those we work with so much on days when things don’t go as planned—Keegan and Madi, you guys were the best!
The wedding ceremony was at Brown Deer Golf Club nearby. The ceremony was originally supposed to be outside, but they had to make and early call and chose an inside ceremony to be safe. They would have been okay, but juuuuust barely, and surely the peace of mind was worth it as we watched those dark storm clouds skirt by exactly as the ceremony was happening. Not only that, there was this beautiful thing called AC inside that everyone was able to share in the enjoyment of. Laughter, tears, love, check.
After the ceremony, we headed back to the Marriott for cocktail hour and dinner. We had the opportunity to photograph the reception space before the guests came in the space, and there was plenty to shoot! After dinner, there were several toasts, which again went along with the theme we discussed earlier—laughing, crying, loving. Keegan and Madi then shared their first dance on that big monogrammed dance floor, which looked awesome! Both of the parent spotlight dances were special and very well done. Madi danced for about half the song with her dad before her 3 other sisters rushed the dance floor and joined in on the father-daughter dance. Mom even got in on the action at the end as well. Pretty sweet. Also sweet was the mother-son dance. Similarly, Keegan danced about half the song with his mom before all other mothers and sons were invited to the dance floor. It was awesome to see grandmas on both sides out on the dance floor. These are the kind of special moments that I love to capture, and it was just another example of how they intentionally created meaning and sentiment throughout the day. If you have an opportunity to intentionally create moments like these in your wedding day, you should totally do it. Well done, guys! The rest of the night saw that monogrammed dance floor getting worked HARD. These guys came to celebrate and party, and that ‘H’ monogram was almost always covered up by some mediocre dance moves.
We were supposed to go out for photos at sunset, but that ended up being thunderstorm time. Instead, we waited until later in the night when the storm had passed to get out and take some photos in the dark. It was fun to try something new, and they certainly add variety to their portfolio of portraits from the day.
Keegan, Madi and family, thank you guys so much for having us be a part of your gorgeous and emotionally beautiful wedding day. May you guys be blessed with a lifetime of love and happiness together!
Hair/Makeup – Flip Salon & Spa (Aubrey)
Flowers – E’s Floral
Rentals – Old Brick Manor
Cake – Tip Top Cakes
Invitations & Paper – Iron Leaf Press
DJ – A Special Event DJ
Ceremony Music – Jessica Frerich
Videography – The Vine Productions
Photographers – Carter Photography
