I'm in love with this wedding. When Ana told me she wanted to use blue and orange as her wedding colors, I knew it was going to be one of my favorite weddings:) Clearly I like blue and orange (see website). It was so fun to shoot Brayden and Ana's engagement session in downtown Atlanta (except for when their car was broken into near Piedmont Park- I still can't believe that!). They are such a gorgeous couple and couldn't take a bad picture. My good photografriend, Carrie Jo Pinkard, came along with me for the engagement session since she was in town and she loved this couple, too- so much so that she penned in their wedding date to second shoot the wedding with me! This says a lot since she has her own busy business (Texture Photo). And I was just as excited that Jess, who shoots with CJ, also could come and help out- between the 3 of us we got so many shots of this awesome wedding! Ana is a DIY queen, and so so many of the details of the day were the product of her hands and time. But what sticks out most to me is the thoughtfulness of Ana and Brayden. Their wedding was on one of the hottest days of the year (reaching around 106 degrees), and the wedding was supposed to be outdoors. Oakhurst Farm is a beautiful venue for outdoor ceremonies, but Ana and Brayden wanted to take care of their guests (especially elderly family members) and felt like the 100+ degree temperature might be too hot for their guests. So they thought creatively and did most of their ceremony indoors and saved 2 special parts of the ceremony for outside. The guests went out to the veranda to watch Ana and Brayden release doves from a basket and the pronouncement of their marriage/the first kiss. I was so struck by how Ana and Brayden were thinking more about other people than themselves on their wedding day and make changes accordingly. And it was still so beautiful! I liked how they creatively came up with a solution and were still to enjoy the outside property for the ceremony. To top it off I loved seeing the basket of bug spray they had for guests when going outside- anyone from Georgia knows how bad the mosquitos can be, especially near water. Truly they were thinking about their guests and wanting this day to be a celebration for everyone to enjoy. Ana's dad said a toast at the beginning of the reception that I loved- he talked about how Nehemiah in the Old Testament pronounces a blessing on the people, saying, "Eat the fat, and drink the sweet...this day is sacred to our Lord!" It was such a neat picture of a day that is sacred for many reasons, and how celebration is only fitting on such a day. Plus I just like the saying that I should eat the fat and drink the sweet:) Thanks to both families for having such a good attitude on a hot (and partly rainy) day- it turned out more beautiful than I could have imagined and I am so grateful that I got to be a part of it!!
