I arrived pretty early, and the girls were still in the early stages of getting ready, so I wandered around getting detail shots and catching up with family members that were already there.
I love the banquet setup for receptions. I understand that you lose seats, but the added "walking around" space is so worth it.
Jars for mixed drinks with wooden name tags, so you can keep the jar! Such a great idea, and it keeps you from having a bunch of plastic cups in the trash.
They did a LOT of the decorations themselves. Maybe everything actually. Those leaf placecards with the names on them? Yeah they collected and painted those. Everything was so beautiful! Plus they did all this from Miami, where they live. Color me impressed!
As everyone was getting ready, I got some candids.
Most everyone in Anielka's family traveled from either Nicaragua or the Miami area, and they had a lot of friends come up from Miami. It was a great group of people! I think when people travel for weddings, they tend to really be present for the day and fully enjoy it. You'll see in the reception pictures that they did indeed have a great time!
Dean gave the guys their ties, tie clips and I think some reusable whiskey ice cubes.
I had the bright idea to put on Dean's boutonniere and give my camera to Travis (another cousin) to take pictures. It was going well until I couldn't get it to work on Dean's skinny lapel!
"Help, please!" We did eventually get it to work, but I really need to start bringing stuff like pins to weddings. A smaller pin would have been great in this moment.
The girls weren't going to be ready to do pictures before the ceremony, but I was able to get some of the guys.
This is what happens when half the groomsmen are goofs, and the other half follow instructions.
Soon it was time for the ceremony!
Anielka right before heading outside.
It was chilly, so they had blankets for people to wrap up in. I definitely snagged one during the reception and wore it around like a cape.
Dean and Anielka have the most stylish friends!
My sweet aunt Gail. Love her!
They're married!
At this point, I knew the sun was almost gone, and we hadn't taken any portraits of the two of them yet. I was afraid to take pictures near the barn because guests would be coming over to talk, and we just didn't have much time. I hate being that way, but I have to get those shots in! We walked all the way over to the bed and breakfast and took all the pictures there. We got them done barely in time before the light was gone. I ended up breaking out my flash for the family photos, which I don't mind doing. I just like to have soft, natural light for portraits.
Ok sorry that was a lot! I had a hard time narrowing them down.
I just love Anielka's "The Little Prince" tattoo.
One in front of the barn on our way to the reception. Once we got back, it was time for introductions and all the reception events.
Ariana, Anielka's twin sister, gave the most beautiful speech. It was in Spanish, which I don't understand much of, but it still made me tear up.
In between all these things, Dean and Anielka walked around to all the tables and talked to everyone. They made sure to get pictures with their guests, which I loved! From a photography perspective, those "grip-n-grin" photos like you see in the mingle section of a newspaper are so boring, but I love doing them anyway. It's so valuable to have photos of the people who took the time to come celebrate with you!
Now it's time to dance!
This was the most fun reception I've been to (I may be biased). All the friends from Miami and Nicaragua wanted Latin dance music, so they would write down songs for Tim Willis from Backstage Productions, and he'd find and play them. He did an amazing job accommodating everyone's requests! And the music was just plain fun!
Around 11pm, it was time for the sparkler sendoff
I had such a fun time shooting Dean and Anielka's wedding! It was a joy to welcome Anielka into our family. She fits in so perfectly and is one of the most wonderful women I've met! Getting to celebrate with her family and all of their friends was truly fantastic.
Congratulations, you two! Come back to Tennessee again soon.
Venue: Peaceful Oaks Bed and Breakfast
DJ: Backstage Productions
Catering: Backyard Bbq
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