We cannot say enough about Humberto and Teresa. Having met them for our meeting, at Andrew and Alyssa’s wedding day and at an expo we were invited to at Padgett’s Farm. We had face time and knew it would be an amazing wedding but, we didn’t know how amazing.
Even working with their coordinator, Emily, was an absolute joy from the beginning and she was thorough the whole time. We got to meet her face to face for the first time at the beginning of the wedding day at Saint Teresa of Avila Catholic Church in Grovetown, GA. It started similar to a lot of wedding days where we get to say hey to the Bride and her Bridesmaids while also grabbing any details that we needed to photograph that were already there. Tom and I split off from there to do some photos of the girls getting ready and other details and before too long, it was time for Teresa to finish the last little bit of her dress so we got her Mom to finish it up for her in front of the mirror and it was so sweet. They made a few jokes and then I had her Dad, Felipe, get in place for their first look and mic’d him up as well. Once she was ready and in place, her turned around and they shared such a sweet moment and I believe that it took him a few minutes before it really all hit him during their hug but, the moment was just so beautiful and we weren’t even about to split that up. From here we met up with the guys for a little bit and Alyssa brought a gift for Humberto to open after watching a video and he loved it! From here we had very little time left but took Humberto upstairs for their first touch for a last moment before becoming Husband and Wife.
Now it was time for the Ceremony to begin which would be a full hour mass beautifully done by a priest who had known Teresa since she was little and made it even more meaningful accompanied by one the most beautiful voices and Piano accompaniment by Kimberly Lies. Humberto and his Mom who he hadn’t been able to see for a long time due to restrictions out of the country got to walk down the aisle together which was so special. We know that has to be a moment they will all hold dear for years to come and then all of their wedding party came down the aisle as well (there were 11 on each side so we left them out of this post for the length of the post but they all looked amazing!) Once the flower girl came down and it was time for the Bride to walk the aisle, the doors opened and Humberto and his Mom both held back tears for a minute before losing it and it made for such a beautiful moment that we all loved being a part of. Once she had made her way down the aisle and her parents handed her off, the rest of the ceremony took place with one extra special touch that we were taken back by on the part of the priest where he gave the couple a very special gift that he was given and had been blessed by three different Popes, John Paul 2, Pope Benedict XVI and Francis. He said he held on to it to give to Teresa because she asked him to come do her quinceañera and something happened to come up and he was unable to attend. It was also special to him because 50 years ago on the very day of their wedding his dad was baptized, confirmed and married his mother on that day which is why he was where he was today so their marriage is super close to his heart and we had never seen anything like that. They also prayed, exchanged vows and even took communion with their attendees. Once they finished everything else in the ceremony, they got to finally share their first kiss as husband and wife and make their way back up the aisle together as Mr. and Mrs. Garduño! At this point, we grabbed a little bit of our equipment and made our way for some quick family photos at the altar before we had to get out for the next mass that was happening. Once we finished those we went outside of the church for the rest of the family photos then it was time for everyone to make their way to Padgett’s Farm in Waynesboro, GA for the reception which was about a 45 minute drive.
Once the wedding party arrived we did their group photos by the water there and some of the newlyweds as well and eventually we went over the bridge to the other side and fog started to roll in as it got a little bit darker and it made for some really cool looking photos that we absolutely love. As it started getting dark and we finished up all of the photos and video wanted, we all drove up to the reception where cocktail hour was finishing up as well as the mariachi band. They also had a bouncy house out for the kids leading up to the DJ announcing the wedding party into the reception tent which was really cool and they seemed to love that up until the rain became too much. Once Teresa had her dress bustle finished, they made their way through the Barn where a lot of the details were and overflow for a lot of guests as well as all of the food and extra bar. Once they were announced into the reception, they went straight into their beautiful first dance where at one point Humberto picked up Teresa from behind and spun like a slow motion moment in a movie (which it will be later technically). They also had the Father Daughter and Mother Son dances which were so sweet and we could tell they were so proud of their children. The couple then shared a quick speech and there was a prayer before everyone being dismissed to go through the line for their Dinner provided by Berry’s Catering who did an amazing job. Once everyone finished eating, it was time for the toasts by the Maid of Honor, Moriah and Best Man, Andrew. They shared some sweet moments and heartfelt speeches as well as downright funny moments. Teresa’s Mom and Dad ended off the toasts with a warm thank you and congratulations before getting all of the single ladies out on the floor for the bouquet toss and then single men for the garter which officially set off the party where DJ Pippe from DJ Louie Productions did an absolutely phenomenal job of setting the party into motion and everyone was dancing every chance they had. We eventually came to a moment that we absolutely loved watching and laughed so much which was La Vibora de La Mar where the newlyweds are lifted up on chairs and the guests hold hands to make a chain and dance/pass through the arch formation trying not to break formation on their part or the wedding party who is holding up the couple. Once the guys all got a turn, it was so funny and Humberto even grabbed a hat as if he were Bull Riding. The guys eventually broke the formation and they all threw Humberto in the air as a big close to that special dance. A little later we made our way over to the barn for the Cake cutting which made for a quick breather before heading right back into the party. The girls had a surprise planned for Humberto and had to change so they disappeared for a minute and then came through another part of the tent behind the dj after Humberto was seated on the dance floor not knowing exactly what was coming. They then burst out into the song with a choreographed dance and a large popper going off behind them to go with the big reveal. Needless to say, Bert was super surprised and loved every minute. They then went into the Money Dance where everyone forms a line to dance with one of the newlyweds and pins money to them to buy the dance and this was a hit that everyone loves. The dance floor then opened up again for a while and stayed full the entire time and eventually ended up with a Conga Line and then we got to set up for their fake sendoff. Being that it was raining, we switched modes into everyone throwing pretend snow inside the tent and fit everyone that we could into the line which we loved and even had some of the guests help us as a plan so we didn’t run into a support beam as we backed down the line. The couple got absolutely covered with the snow and had so much joy on their faces that we knew it was the perfect way to end the night. Being that this wedding day happened shortly before Christmas, this has taken just a little bit longer to post but, I even got to meet up with them again for a quick Christmas session the week after at one of our favorite Christmas tree farms and even got to meet their adorable Pitty, Chapo. We cannot wait to see what the future holds for this wonderful couple and what adventures life will bring their way. Congrats again Mr. and Mrs. Garduño!
