Susie and Chris are dear friends of ours who were married this past weekend. I shot their engagement photos back in the fall, and I was so excited when they invited me to be part of their actual wedding day. Having Allen and several of our other friends in the wedding party gave the day a fun, personal touch for me as a photographer, and I know Chris and Susie appreciated having thier closest friends rally around them all day.
The wedding ceremony was held at Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church. It was a beautiful day for a wedding, and the day couldn’t have gone more perfectly if we had tried. A big thanks to my friends Alisa Lynn and Kristen Bailey for coming to shoot with me and capture every part of Chris and Susie’s day.
Susie’s dress was GORGEOUS. The detail and lace on her dress was amazing, and I couldn’t resist this window shot.
Susie’s sister-in-law, Courtney, gave her an engraved compact as a wedding gift.
One of my favorite things is to be with the bride as she puts on the final touches and hear the excitement in the room it all comes together. Susie was such a beautiful bride!
Chris and the boys hung out in the parlor on the other side of the church. I’m used to their shenanigans, so the atmosphere and crude humor was par for the course. It was interesting contrast to what was happening in the bride’s room, but that’s what I love about being able to capture the two perspectives.
Susie and Chris chose to have a first look. I always encourage couples to throw out the old traditions and see each other before the wedding ceremony. It helps the pre-wedding nerves disappear and lets the day’s schedule flow so much more smoothly. Susie beamed as she walked up behind Chris, and after seeing her for the first time, Chris said some of the sweetest things to her that I have heard.
It was the very middle of the day, but there was amazing light at the front of the church and these awesome wooden doors to shoot in front of. Susie and Chris were so relaxed with each other which comes across beautifully in their photographs.
Bonus points for Chris for pulling off a SWEET dip! I have a lot of favorites from the day, and these two are definitely favorites.
Chris teased I was testing my luck on keeping him out in the blazing heat, but he still rocked it out for some beautiful relaxed individual portraits…
Remember Chris’ sister Courtney and her husband Blake from their engagement session earlier this year? LOVE THEM!
We finished up the family and formal portraits a little early and were able to roam the grounds and take a few more portraits of Susie.
As the bridesmaids cleared out of the bridal sweet and lined up in the foyer of the church, the reality of what was about to happen set in. Susie mentally prepped herself and tried to sneak a peek of the action.
After the wedding ceremony, we were able to take a few moments to ride up to a bluff overlooking Birmingham and take a few more formal portraits of Susie and Chris. These turned out to be some of my very favorites of the day!
The reception was held at Vestavia Hills Country Club. I had never been to a reception there before, but it was the perfect venue for a lot of guests, a great band and fun party!
Alisa was able to head over to the country club a little early and grab some awesome shots of the reception before any guests arrived. I love these details she captured of the cake. Oh, and this cake…? YUM!
Susie and Chris’ wedding was so much fun. Friends and family came in from all over the southeast to support the beginning of their marriage and celebrated to the very end.
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by Amanda
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