Backyard Wedding in Wichita: Allyson and Rafe — Part 4, Reception! June 5, 2009

Are you ready for this? :) Here’s the final set of photos from Allyson and Rafe’s beautiful backyard wedding. This post is full of fun shots from their reception — held underneath a white tent on a gorgeous early summer day while the sun set! Beautiful!

I loved Allyson and Rafe’s first dance. It was so entertaining and very well done. I think Rafe might hold the title as “best dancing groom” in the ericamay archives. :) They took dance lessons, and I’d say it was worth it!

The beautiful cakes:

Cutting the cake/toasting — these two are Jeff’s:

And this is mine:

Rafe’s dad said the blessing before dinner (which was AMAZING — kabobs on the grill!).

The first dances with parents — Allyson and her dad and Rafe and his mom:

Since the reception was held in the backyard, the kids got to hang out on the play set the whole time — it was a great way to keep them entertained and nearby… and it made for some super cute photos:

The bouquet toss (too cute!):

As the night went on, we were greeted with a gorgeous sky as the sun set and the moon rose!

And then the party really started. :) I don’t usually share a ton of dance shots on the blog, but today I’m going to — these are too much fun not to.

This next section is dedicated to Aleks, the best man and brother of the groom, who also happens to be my best friend’s husband. Enjoy.

From the front…

Aaand, the back…

And a few more fun dancing shots:

They ended the night with a bang… literally. Fireworks to the tune of “My Little Baby is a Firecracker”… :)

Allyson and Rafe, I’m wishing you a very happy life together. :) Don’t lose that super cute we’re-so-in-love way that you look at each other. :)

Family and friends — don’t forget to sign the online guestbook to be notified when all of their photos are online!

Kicking Off 2009: Stephanie and Daniel’s Leawood Wedding January 6, 2009

We didn’t wait long to kick off our 2009 wedding season — on January 2nd, while the confetti and noisemakers were still being swept off Times Square, Stephanie and Daniel were getting ready for their special day! :) It was an awesome way to ring in the new year, celebrating the love and commitment of two people.

If you missed the sneak peek of their portraits, check it out first.

The day started with Stephanie getting ready. I love this shot!

Stephanie’s dad was finally allowed into the room to see his daughter in her wedding dress! Priceless!

Stephanie and Daniel decided to not see each other before their ceremony, so we coordinated two separate portrait sessions before the ceremony. Here’s a shot from Daniel’s:

And two from Stephanie’s:

Their ceremony was held at The Church of the Nativity in Leawood, Kansas. It was still decorated for Christmas and was just beautiful!

Stephanie’s dad giving her away to her new husband!

See what I mean about the gorgeous Christmas decor?

One of my favorite moments to capture is the time right after a wedding ceremony, when friends and family shower the bride and groom with hugs and congratulations! I love this shot of Stephanie right after she became a wife, with her bridesmaids all around!

Since the couple didn’t want to see each other before for photos, and it was dark when their evening wedding was finished, we didn’t get to do an outdoor portrait session. Since the church was so lovely, we did all of their portraits inside, and I love the wintertime feel they have!

I love this one!

The reception was at the Lodge at Ironwoods, a really neat modern barn in a park in Leawood. It was a fantastic venue!

Toasts are some of the best times for capturing great reactions! Stephanie’s sister and maid of honor gave a funny toast with advice for Daniel and things he should know about Stephanie — there was a lot of laughter during this one! :)

Double camera coverage capturing the best man (and groom’s brother) speech!

This shot of their first dance has such a dreamy quality, which I love. It reminds me of an old black-and-white movie.

And this expression on her dad’s face is so proud. I love this one of their father-daughter dance:

The tradition of throwing the garter and bouquet is always approached differently from couple to couple. I’m sure this garter approach took Stephanie by surprise (it’s okay…they’re married!). :)

And the bouquet toss reactions were just too great!

I can’t get enough of dancing grandparents — here are Daniel’s grandparents joining the fun on the dance floor!

Stephanie and Daniel, congratulations on your marriage! Wishing you the best 2009 as husband and wife!

Family and friends, click here to sign the guestbook for the online gallery — you’ll be notified when all of the wedding photos are available for viewing!

So, what do you think? What’s your favorite image from the first wedding of 2009?