I say the “next” Amy & Brad not because they are lesser in any way, but because a couple of weddings ago was an Amy & Brad as well! Try that for confusing. And both of the Amy’s have last names that start with R. So I tried to hold down the blogging fort while Kristie was on vacation and when she came back I let out a big sigh of relief and let it all go to hell. I sent Amy an email the other day to tell her the photos were ready before I even got around to the blog. To be fair, it didn’t seem nice to hold the photos hostage while I tried to get a blog together. So Amy – I hope you’re enjoying them! However, Amy informed me that Brad is out of town for about 5 days (she wasn’t about to wait for him to get back…actually I think she made it here in record time), so Brad, this is for you!

It really was a perfect day for a ceremony at the Botanical Gardens. The kind of day you would wake up, stretch, yawn, pour a cup of coffee, step outside and think that it’s a perfect day to wonder around MoBot. The ceremony was later in the day so the lighting was beautiful. The reception had neat little relaxed touches like iron lanterns on the tables, a photo guestbook, and each table was named after a St. Louis landmark like the Soulard Market. Aisan lanters adorned the dance floor with some tree branches lining the corners. Oh and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the coolest cake ever. Each person not only got a slice of cake, but also a chocolate covered strawberry on each plate! All in all a beautiful day from beginning to end – enjoy!

One last little note – I have a new fun action plan! I think I’m going to try to figure out a new random place to photograph shoes everytime I go out. This time…butcher block in the kitchen. Amy saw me wondering around and asked “Did you just put my shoes in the microwave?” And I answered “Um, yes, but the lighting wasn’t what I was hoping for. Plus I’m too short.” Classic.