Now, there’s a lot that can be said about this couple, from his live streaming on Twitch to their shared love of cars being part of how they met. They are so fun and down to earth that we knew we would love this wedding day at Ashton Cole Place in Thomson, GA.

The wedding day itself started with us showing up and saying hey to the couple and the wedding party while also gathering details to photograph. As we were finishing up details and I walked out to do a few photos of the venue, it started to rain which we thought wasn’t going to happen until maybe much later according to the forecast. It worked out that it started early and continued making it a little bit easier to call it and switch to plan b of having the ceremony in the reception space so they pulled out a bunch of chairs. This was for sure a testament to how great the folks at Ashton Cole are at handling any situation and we did appreciate seeing that. Also, they say it’s good luck when it rains on your wedding day and Jason and Sharon handled it perfectly together which in a beautiful manner told the story of how great they are together. Once everyone was ready, we did a few photos of the guys together and also the reveal of the Bride to her Bridesmaids and the Mother’s. We quickly set it up to do a first look with the Bride’s Father as well and then then couple’s Son (who is hilarious and obsessed with fishing to the point of having literal fish shoes on his feet later in the wedding but more on that later) and of course the first look between Jason and Sharon just before it was almost time for the ceremony and everyone was showing up.

From there, we got into our spots for the ceremony and got to meet a sweet pup who apparently was the face of a company (which company it was escapes me at the moment) but any time there’s animals involved, we thoroughly enjoy ourselves. Once we had everyone in place, the music started and the family and wedding party made their way down the aisle. The joy all over Sharon and Jason’s faces as she made her way down the aisle was very contagious and we always love the moment of seeing the Bride’s Father giving her a hug and handing her over to the Groom, moments like that start hitting differently when you become a parent and have that perspective. Their great friend Jarrod who also officiated the wedding did an amazing job and everything went smoothly and ended with Jason and Sharon sealing the deal with their kiss and making their way back up the aisle as Mr. and Mrs. Berry.

From here, it had dried enough that we made our way to the original ceremony location for a few family photos and as well as the wedding party and couples photos to quickly get them into their reception. We actually finished a little early and got to give them a breather to sit down before going into the reception as well as change shoes before hitting the dance floor. As everyone set up and entered into the reception, everyone had just finished cocktail hour and were enjoying the photo booth before finding their seats. Once Jason and Sharon entered surrounded by cheering, they went into their first dance. Once they finished that dance everyone started eating and enjoying the photo booth some more as well as dancing a little. Then it was time for the Father/ Daughter dance and then Mother/ Son dance and then to the cake cutting where they got to taste the cake but also enjoy wearing a little bit because they smooshed it into each other’s faces which was funny. From here, we enjoyed both Dad’s giving a toast before trading off to dance with their Son’s new Wife or Daughter’s Husband which was a nice switch up and provided such a sweet moment. From that moment on, it was an open dance floor with a bouquet and garter toss at the very end almost before ending off with a beautiful sparkler exit where they stayed lit for a while so we made a few passes just for fun and then went to actually end the night off signing the marriage certificate in the Bridal suite. From there, they started packing up and planning the clean up process to head home as the Berry family officially. We got to say our goodbyes and get a few hugs in but we must say that we are excited to see what all the future has for Mr. and Mrs. Berry!

Vendors List

Photography - Beauty & Beard Photography @beautyandbeardphoto

Venue - Ashton Cole Place

Decor - Flowers on Broad

DJ- Drop The Mic

Caterer - Penny Jo Newkirk

Brides Dress - Tiffinie Bleu Bridal Boutique

Hair / Makeup - The Darling Loft - Rachel Biestman

Bridesmaids / Flower Girl - Amazon

Groom / Groomsmen - Suit Factory

8-15-2020

Where do we even start with this amazing couple? They were some of the first to know about our pregnancy, they have kept us going with “The Office” memes during Covid-19, among so many other things that just put them in a spot close to our hearts. One thing that we love about what we do for a living is the fact that we are able to see people that we have come to know and love tie the knot on one of the happiest days of their lives. When we get the chance to do engagement sessions with our couples and meet beforehand, we find that we have skin in the game and are so invested and happy for them and that was definitely the situation here. Anyways, onto the wedding day story!

We were doing photo and video for this wedding and had our third shooter Tom with us to help cover everything so we met up with him and got there early to walk around the venue space a little and get familiar since we had not photographed a wedding out there yet. After that we went into the bridal suite to say hey to all of the girls and grab some details to go photograph while they were half way into makeup and everything still so we did that and eventually during the getting ready process the guys were ready so, after I filmed a little part of Sarah reading her card to Brendan, Tom and I took the guys outside and did the group photos and some individuals of Brendan as well. We then finished up with Sarah getting ready and took the girls outside and once we got back inside it was time to setup for the father daughter first look, and first touch for Brendan and Sarah where they would read their notes to each other. By that time it was getting super close to time for the ceremony so I left Morgan and Tom to do the Mother Son first look while I went and setup another camera for the ceremony video and was joined shortly by the rest of the team. Everything went perfectly and it held off raining just long enough for everyone to get under the covering and most of the ceremony to be over with. They said their I do’s and the priest was actually hilarious and made some unexpected jokes and everyone made their way back up the aisle and then it started raining again so we all hid out under a covered porch just around the corner while we waited to go back for family formal photos at the ceremony area and it didn’t take long at all. We knocked those out and then walked over to the green up on a hill for the full wedding party group photos and some couples photos. A rainbow ended up popping up in the background for a few minutes before it faded away, you can actually spot a little bit of in the first bridal party photo on the green.

Fast forward a little, the introductions and dances all take place and the couple’s first dance was beautifully choreographed to Frank Sinatra’s “Fly me to the moon”. Once they finished all of the dances and we got to the speeches, Sarah’s dad took the first speech to thank everyone and welcome them to the reception. He started by pulling out a long piece of paper from his coat pocket and stated that it was the receipt for the wedding day and you could tell no one was prepared for the joke because everyone laughed so loud and the couple looked so surprised that he broke the paper out like that. All of the other reception moments were perfect and once they got to the open dance floor, the dj threw out some hits by Smash Mouth and Sarah sang every single word while they were surrounded by friends. If that doesn’t perfectly describe how fun they are, I am not sure what does.

A little bit of time passed and it was time for the couples grand exit to their limo so, we got everyone lined up outside and started lighting the sparklers. They exited out and everyone cheered for them and they were intentional about stopping one last time before getting in the limo to look back and say bye to everyone which was just a sweet moment. They then got into the limo and had a few bags thrown into the trunk before the road off into the night to go on their honeymoon to Montego Bay! Needless to say that we are honored to call them friends and cannot wait to see what else happens in the lives of the Dufek family! #IdotoDufek