ahhhh fall…the crisp air and the gorgeous colors… I think early November might be my favorite time to shoot weddings in the midwest. Amanda and Peter’s wedding day was a perfect example of why! We began at her family farm in Illinois…. a cute sign always lets us know we’re in the right neck of the woods!
The first surprise of the day was that prior to the ceremony the guys were going to be “shooting”… and I don’t mean BB guns folks… we are talking heavy artillery! These are military men & women who don’t fool around. I was asked to take a few photos of it, so I promptly strapped on the hearing protection and went in! (if you make it all the way to the bottom of this blog you will see a slightly apprehensive selfie in said headgear) LOL My partner in crime for the day, Katy, happens to be terrified of guns, and so she stayed inside with the ladies!
Hi Peter, nice to meet you! (This was our first time meeting…he’s the one firing the weapon below!)
Some of the girls came down from getting their hair and makeup done to join in the action outside. Note the variety of weapons and ammunition available. I was impressed/scared. I kinda wanted to put my camera down and try it too!
And on the next episode of “Bridesmaids with Automatic Weapons”… I love that she’s still in the silk robe.
meanwhile inside, a more serene scene unfolds for Amanda…. lots of shiny, pretty things
love the lacy touches on the stationary
Funny little tid bits sink into your memory when you get to work with people’s families all day… I recall thinking it was super funny and sweet that when Amanda put on these shoes and remarked they seemed slick, her Dad (who is the handiest person on Earth) immediately, with no hesitation, took the shoes down to rough up the bottoms on a belt sander.
Time to get into that gown!
And finally Peter had to hang up the sound deadening earmuffs in favor of a three piece suit for the rest of the day!
What better groomsmen’s gift for a brisk fall wedding… fur hats!
waiting for the first look…
this card totally cracked me up.
The ceremony was held on a different part of the farm by a charmingly rustic barn and a beautiful old tree.
Ring security takes their jobs very seriously.
These last moments with Dad always seem a bit surreal… for both of them.
gorgeous setting
It’s always fun when a family member officiates the service.
Amanda’s brother composed a song for them and performed it during the ceremony… it was lovely, and as a musician, it took all my willpower not to jump in with harmony vocals! LOL
hitched!
Kids are always one of the most entertaining aspects of the wedding day! These photos both made me laugh out loud and we have kind of an unspoken rule here at L that those images MUST go on the blog unless they are inappropriate in some way (which these are not– just funny!)
a prettier one, for balance.
the gorgeous Amanda
I LOVE this photo below left… a real laugh and smile…
see?! the fur hats are back!
The whole crew
LOVE it. These men are secure enough to sport the pink and grey.
Thank you shout out to my assistant Katy and the boys from Arndt for holding my reflector in the wind for me to block out the sun flare enough to get these few glowy field portraits!
So Amanda’s parents live on a big, beautiful farm property and have built a lovely new home there… but also on the property is the old cabin style home that Amanda grew up in, and we thought it would be really cool to go back and take a few photos of them in there! We kept joking that we were going to call the series of photos “portraits of a bride in her childhood home”… This is the attic!
kitchen….
living room with beamed ceilings and walls — just enough light coming in for a portrait
back porch
I love that you can see the tire swing in the background of some of these… I can imagine Amanda playing on it as a child!
So now we are back at the barn near the ceremony…. we were all over this farm. Giving photographers a farm to shoot on is like turning a toddler loose in a candy store.
a lovely little pit stop on the way toward the farm entrance
…and this is the road we entered the property on… we had noticed this gorgeous row of trees in the morning on the drive in and hoped we would have time to revisit them later in the day when the sun was setting…. AND WE DID! It turns out Amanda’s Dad planted all of these trees too!
so, so pretty
again, the rule… and yes, Peter, this DID make me laugh out loud. HA!
After the sun set, we headed the the Cheshire Inn for the reception. Lovely Rustic place cards and cross sawn candle holders (which I believe Amanda’s Mom and Dad also made!)
These hanging fixtures are the coolest. Local honey from a neighboring farm makes for cute favors.
As a surprise, Amanda had a grooms cake made to be a replica of the tank Peter served on in the military… it was SO COOL. Impressive baking/cake sculpting skills… complete with graham cracker sand!
a cozy little nook created for cocktail hour
the hats just kept reappearing!
The Cheshire Inn at night
and a good time was had by all (me included!) As promised… here is a terrible cellphone selfie of me looking slightly terrified in sound muffling headgear to cap off this blog journey!
Thanks Amanda and Peter for letting me capture your wedding day, and thanks for the fun day on the farm! with love, kate
L Photographie St. Louis wedding photography by Liz Sloan and Kate Hayes
VENDOR LOVE
Hair : Pixies Hair Design – Megan Decker
Makeup : Holly Hanak
Bridal gown : Jim Hjelm
Bridal alterations/bustle : R&M Designs – Connie Simpson
Veil/belt/hairpiece : Fleur De Lis Bridal
Bridesmaid dresses : Alfred Angelo
Tuxedos : Mens Wearhouse
Flower girl dresses : Angelikaliv, VintageAndChampagne and Misdress from Etsy
Cake : Encore Baking
Florist : Sisters Flowers
Ceremony venue : Bride’s Parents’ Farm, Millstadt, IL
Reception venue : The Cheshire Inn
Catering/linens : The Cheshire Inn
Ceremony quartet : SIUE Suzuki teachers
DJ/band : Millennium Productions
Transportation : A Perfect Touch Limo
Paper goods : Two Blue Doors
Planner : Kate & Co – Kimmie Klipsch
Favors : homemade, Honey from Homestead Honey Belleville, IL
Wood candles/frame centerpieces : Gary Twesten and Janet Parsons
Videographer : Arndt Photography
Officiant : Eric Fry (Groom’s brother in law)
Rings : Pfeifley Jewelers, Manhattan, KS
Draping/lighting/candles/window pane place settings : Exclusive Events
Vintage couches/chairs/trunk : Finch Vintage Rentals
Reception guest chairs : Aries Company
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