This wedding is absolute proof that weddings don’t have to be giant and over the top to be beautiful and meaningful. Andrea and Mark had an intimate gathering at the Whittemore House in St. Louis on the their wedding day. We were still in the middle of that heat wave that made the Earth seem more like the surface of Mars, but that didn’t stop us from taking a few quick photographs outside before we began to melt! I always tell people that it doesn’t take much to make a beautiful photograph…just some great light and a few minutes. We took portraits for maybe 15 minutes with just the 3 of us out in the yard of the house. It was calm, simple and gorgeous. So you don’t have to stress yourselves out fitting in location after location on your wedding day to have beautiful photographs! Just relax, enjoy, take a deep breath and try to take time to remember. Take a look at Andrea and Mark’s beautiful day!

Now, if you had to have an heirloom ring passed down in your family for generations…wouldn’t you hope that it was THIS one?!

Andrea being helped into her Casablanca gown.  The overlay with the intricate antique beading was spectacular.

Mom applying the finishing touches.

Now over to Mark…the smiliest, jolliest, easiest to make laugh groom of all time!

Just gorgeous Andrea.

And off to the first look!  Love first looks.  Seriously.  Would have done it had I known how awesome they could be when I was getting married.

A couple of my favorites.

Braving the heat for a few shots on the Whittemore House grounds!  Totally worth it.

And back in the historic building to take advantage of the woodwork and grand staircase.

The wedding party!

Ketubah signing.

Andrea plays in the symphony, so needless to day, the strings were impressive.

Hi everyone!

Andrea’s mom sang beautifully…very sweet moment.

Married!

Mmmmm…I just remembered I need lunch.  Wedding cake for lunch perhaps?!

Bloomin’ Buckets gorgeous flower arrangements!

There is no more beautiful time of day for photos than the hour before sunset.  Most photographers call it the “golden hour.”  This is the only time of day you can have photos that look all sunny, soft and warm like this.  It is literally impossible at 1:00 in the afternoon.  So I stole these two from their cocktail hour for about 5 minutes to take advantage.  We are in a parking lot.  Can’t tell eh?!  Lovely!

Grandma imparting some marriage advice on Andrea’s new hubby.  I would listen to her…my guess is she knows what she’s talking about!

Dad’s warm welcome.

After dinner guests mingled and enjoyed each other’s company.  No dances or formalities.  And it was perfect.  Here are a few shots of the beautiful Whittemore House on my way out for the evening…

Thank you so much for having me!  And for your amazing patience with your photos.  I hope they were worth the wait!  With love, Liz

Ceremony: Whittemore House St. Louis
Reception: Whittemore House St. Louis
Caterer: Catering St. Louis
Flowers: Bloomin’ Buckets Floral Design
Cake: Cravings Gourmet Desserts
Gown: Casablanca from Clarice’s Bridal Fashions

L Photographie St. Louis Wedding Photographers Liz SLoan and Kate Hayes