Relaxed. Calm. Serene.
Not words that are usually associated with a wedding day…
Unless you’re Michael and Leah, their family, and their friends. Because relaxed, calm, and serene is exactly what they were. And exactly how their wedding day felt. And exactly why they were able to be so joyful, so happy to be getting married, and so excited about everything all day long. In other words, a photographer’s dream. :)
Leah and Michael got married this past weekend in Wichita, and it was an honor to be a part of their special day. I grew up with Michael (okay, okay… we call him “Mike”) at my house a lot… he’s good friends with my older brother, who was in the wedding! I got to know Leah over the past several months of their engagement… and what a sweetheart she is. It’s no wonder these two found each other. They both share a huge love for music (and were both part of the Singing Quakers at Friends University), and their wedding really reflected that.
I met up with the ladies as they were getting ready at the church, Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Wichita.
Leah and Michael opted to not see each other until after the ceremony, so we opted for photos of each of them individually beforehand, and did their couples’ portraits after!
Leah’s dad walked her down the aisle…
…to her groom, who was absolutely beaming. :)
I have so many favorite ceremony shots to share with you, because they were just smiling and giving each other these “I’m-so-in-love” looks throughout the whole ceremony! It was amazing! I’ll be sharing both my shots and Jeff’s with you here… the first two are mine:
And Jeff’s (I love this one so much)…
Mine again:
And Jeff’s:
Back to mine… here they were just announced as husband and wife!!
And Jeff’s of the same moment (is he good or what?!)… and isn’t Leah lovely?
After the ceremony, we had some time for a portrait session with the bride and groom at the church (one of my favorite parts of the day!).
Jeff took these awesome shots of their rings!
And then we were off to the reception at the Homewood Suites at The Waterfront in Wichita. They incorporated such great details and colors into their reception decor — I loved the personal touches, and the details I kept finding all over the reception venue! They had a great indoor space and a beautiful outdoor patio that overlooked a lake. It was gorgeous! I’m going to share some of the details first…
They incorporated their engagement photos so nicely, blending them in with florals or placing them amongst other details.
They used old doors painted a light lavender color to display photos (attached to ribbons) of each of them, their relationship, and each of their parents’ relationships. It was really cute!
They had a “wishing tree” where guests would write notes or advice or congratulatory messages to the newlyweds, and hang it on the tree! I love this idea.
The toasts had everyone laughing. I love watching the couple during the toasts…
And their first dance was just so sweet… just like them! :)
The new bride and groom even let me steal them away for a few minutes for outdoor portraits in the late evening. Of course, I loved that. :)
Leah and Michael, congratulations on your marriage! I’m wishing and praying for you to have the most beautiful life together. Enjoy your honeymoon with no plans in the Northwest… it sounds amazing! :) Congratulations!
Friends and family can view all of the images online (or just sign in and you’ll be notified when they’re ready to go!).
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