the official kick-off of mike + mary’s wedding day? ~ their private moment.
and it looked like THIS:
oh be still my heart.
one thing we’ve learned over the many moons that we’ve been wedding photographers is to tap into local insight + wisdom. perhaps the best example? on the oregon coast several years ago, kim and i found ourselves scouting locations for amanda + brennan’s next-day ceremony (an opportunity we LOVE btw!) hmmmm….where to begin? we decided to pose the question to locals we encountered:
“if you were getting married this weekend, where would you most love that ceremony to be?”
an insightful gardener at the bed + breakfast amanda + brennan’s wedding party would soon stay didn’t hesitate to point us toward the haystack at arcadia beach. lesson learned.
and with mike + mary’s 8/8 wedding, even though we’ve been lucky enough to document a half dozen weddings in boonville, it was the organist (nancy! such a gem!!!!) at nelson memorial who, in an impromptu brainstorming session for a private meeting place AWAY from the hustle and bustle of the sanctuary pointed us here:
and oh my was it ever perfect! thank you, nancy ward!!! look, even a little bench to corral the wedding kids (another trick the years documenting weddings has taught us)
mary works in the bahamas (specifically hope town, abacos island ~ did you see their engagement slideshow? ~ extra fun in that it was mike’s first visit to mary’s new home!) mike + mary were especially delighted that several new town residents made it so far inland for their celebration, and SO MANY of their college friends (even their college minister who came to officiate their ceremony) found their way to missouri from florida for this magical day.
[gosh even writing that makes me miss mike + mary's friends and family. let's do this . . . see individual smiles in my latest facebook album...and while you're there, hey, wanna be friends?!]
their highlight slideshow tells mike + mary’s wedding day story (click link or keep on scrolling) this might be my favorite ever wedding day itinerary. their private moment was at noon with the wedding party showing up twenty minutes later. family group shots were taken in the sanctuary before their magical, emotionally-moving 2:30PM ceremony.
their recessional spilled right outside with the wedding party (and a number of guests, too!) WALKING to their reception. LOVE THAT!
a wonderful spirited reception with lots of laughing + dancing in a lovely historic light-filled venue.
who could ask for more?
well, in some ways, we did.
after they waved goodbye to wedding guests:
we were able to spend another hour with mike + mary while they were still in their wedding attire.
wowza!!!!
because their wedding + reception had been in the afternoon, we ended up being with the VERY NEW newlyweds during the magical, unparalleled “golden hour”
no doubt why it’s called “golden hour”, eh?
then one more stop . . .
and how did mike + mary END their wedding day?
with dinner.
just the two of them.
overlooking the missouri river at Les Bourgeois Bistro.
ok, it’s official, we love EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM and EVERYTHING ABOUT THEIR WEDDING DAY!!!!
and in sum:
amy enderle
PS annika, you ROCKED IT at this wedding, girl. thank you, thank you, thank you!
11 comments
Kim - WOW! Incredible job…love especially the pictures of mike and mary laughing AND crying AT THE SAME TIME during the ceremony :’) SO much expression and emotion and lovely light. i’m proud as heck to have you as my very own business partner! And congrats, Mike and Mary, and a rock ‘em sock ‘em day!!!August 31, 2009 – 2:18 pm
Ashley - Wow! So much emotion in these images. I really felt like I was there. Fabulous work!August 31, 2009 – 2:29 pm
Erika Jackson - Oh my. Amy & Annika – you have out done yourselves. These are amazing. I love the shot of her showing off her ring. I love them all. Beautiful work.August 31, 2009 – 3:21 pm
Mary Day - i just love it. you know how i adore b&w shots–that first one is so awesome!– but there is one with my brother and sis-in-law that just gave me goosebumps. how can we ever thank you enough? i don’t know, but i will rave about you to anyone who will listen in the meantime!!August 31, 2009 – 4:02 pm
Mary Saou - oops! i left my old name in the blank! this will take some getting used to!!August 31, 2009 – 4:03 pm
Miranda Robinson - Hi, you don’t know me, but I am one of Mary’s friends from high school and I wasn’t able to make it to the ceremony. And I just want to tell you that you captured every essence of who Mary is in these photos and I felt like I was there. Awesome job!September 1, 2009 – 2:32 pm
Tracy - Amy – we’ve been having internet issues so I just watched the slideshow for the first time. My friend, you’ve outdone yourself. I cried my way through these images. What a “MAGICAL” day!! Thank you for pouring your soul into your work – as always, it’s amazing! love ya!!September 2, 2009 – 3:36 pm
Christina Crowe - Amy – Another FANTASTIC job! I so very much wish I could’ve been there for such a gorgeous day for Mary & Mike but your pictures at least make me feel like I was there
Those shots at the blue door are especially ah-mazing. Congrats Mary & Mike!!!September 3, 2009 – 3:51 pm
Karen Eagle - Ladies! Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful!! A perfect day captured so beautifully….September 4, 2009 – 7:28 pm
replacement chair cushions - Do you like rabbits? I do!October 22, 2009 – 2:00 am
Mary Saou - three months later and i still love love love looking at these images. amy, having you there was such a wonderful part of that day, and i am so thankful that we have these pictures to tell the story forever. thank you again, for catching precious memories so beautifully and being such an inspiration!November 6, 2009 – 1:55 pm