We spent the day with Andrew and Jackie for their wedding this past weekend. 2022 has been a year of the wind, and apparently their day was going to be no different. But nothing was going to stop these two from having the best day ever.
We started the day getting ready at one of our favorite wedding venues, Eastbank, which happened to be where the reception was held later that night. We started with the guys finishing up and Andrew getting dressed right beside a big pink bag that mysteriously held Jackie’s dress. After he had his jacket on and was all put together, Andrew was quickly escorted out of the getting ready space so we could open up that pink bag and put its contents on Jackie.
At that point, it was finally time to end the pink bag suspense and let the two of them lay eyes on each other for their first look. It was cute and all, but apparently downtown photos can be dangerous. Jackie’s dress was almost run over by a bicyclist, and as we transitioned into a couple photos of the two of them, some dude in an old van let us all know he was not pleased with us doing photos in and around the street. He didn’t even give the token honk of congratulations! Through it all, Andy and Jackie just smiled.
There was quite a distance between the ceremony location and Eastbank downtown, so they commissioned a sweet limo bus from Black Diamond for the long bus ride out. Their ceremony was at Wayne Zion Lutheran Church outside of Monticello. There were some technical difficulties with some obnoxious microphone interference, so I’ll just say I’m glad I’m not a video man that has to deal with audio! Everything was squared away without an issue, and through it all, Andy and Jackie just smiled. After the ceremony had wrapped up, the bride and groom went outside to greet their guests and have bubbles blown in their face. By that time, the wind seemed to have picked up pretty significantly. Very exciting. Surprisingly though, despite the wind, the bubble exit actually still worked pretty well!
We loaded up the party bus and took the 45 minute ride back downtown – most of which I spent thinking about where to shoot and how to manage the wind. This was one of the windiest days we have experienced, and normally that would be fine. But apparently when you are downtown amongst blocks and blocks of tall buildings, the wind begins to swirl as it bounces off other buildings, and there is no such thing as a wind block. So all my planning and directional configuring was basically for not. That, and with all the construction in the area, we were in a legit dust/sand storm. Guess who didn’t care. Andrew and Jackie just smiled. Through the whole day, they were super chill, despite the less than optimal conditions that were taking a beating on their hair, eyes and whole body. And so was their super supportive wedding party. It’s such a blessing when people are trusting, chill and willing to roll with whatever we are dealt with on wedding days. It definitely makes our job so much easier and more enjoyable. Not that anything is about us, but it shows the character of those that extend such grace to us.
After bustling the dress and a new bridal updo, it was time for dinner and toasts. Jackie’s dad, the best man and matron of honor gave speeches that took them to the verge of tears, but not completely over that threshold. Dang it. Afterward, Andrew and Jackie took the mic to thank everyone for their love and support, and in a very gracious gesture, they took the time to thank all their vendors very personally. They had a friend from California fly in to sing for their first dance, which was a cool, personal touch. They certainly have befriended some talented musicians between their first dance performance, and those who played/sang at the ceremony! They also have great taste in DJs as well, and Riley Mullane was kept the party rocking and on task all night.
Since we didn’t have a real sunset at our disposal because of the all day cloud cover, we finished the night playing with tame fireworks. It’s also known as a sparkler exit. And then, since we were already outside with lights available to us, we captured a few dramatic night shots to put a bow on everything for the day.
Andrew and Jackie, thank you guys so much for sharing your big day with us and choosing to have us be the ones to capture it. And thanks for being so gracious and just smiling through it all! We wish you guys all the best!
Hair & Makeup – Special Effects (Kathy Kirk)
Flowers, Cake & Catering – Hy-Vee (N Dodge)
Videographer – Stang Films
DJ – Riley Mullane
Transportation – Black Diamond
Dress – Hope’s Bridal
Stationery Printing – Alpha Graphics
