We had an amazing session with these two amazing people back in April which you can see here. They are from Colorado as well as a lot of their families but everyone came back to the old stomping ground of Washington, GA for the big day which we always love getting to shoot there since it’s where my family lives as well. They got ready at the reception venue which is the Fitzpatrick Hotel in Washington and then the ceremony was at Peacewood Farms just down the road which is a beautiful historic home just down the road from the Washington Square.
With the wedding being in Washington, we actually got to start off our day having an early lunch with my family at the local Mexican restaurant in town before dropping Logan off to stay with them during the wedding day. Once we were all set on that front, we made our way to the Fitzpatrick to meet up with the girls and say hey to Brittany (the coordinator for the day) whom we hadn’t seen in a while. We started our day saying hey to Brittany and meeting up with our third shooter, Tom, downstairs and checking out some of the reception decor then made our way up to the girls room to say hey and grab details to start photographing those. They had a lot of cute details that made it hard to choose which ones to put in this blog. Once in the girls room, the room was filled with music ranging from Linkin Park to Britney Spears at one point making for a diverse soundtrack to them getting ready. The guys spent their morning out shooting in a field so they came back to shower and start getting ready around the time that the girls were finishing up their hair and makeup to transition to the ceremony venue to get dressed so there was a little passing by saying hey on the stairs for the bridesmaids and groomsmen (not the bride and groom themselves of course). Now it was time to split up a little bit so Tom stayed with the guys for a bit as they got ready and we made our way to check out the ceremony location. Upon entering the girls room, we were greeted with a loud cheer because the Mother of the Bride was trying to take a cellphone picture for the girls of their socks and wasn’t getting what they wanted. It was probably the best greeting we’ve ever received on a wedding day so of course, I hopped down on the floor to take the photo of their socks seen below really quick and then went out to take photos of the house and ceremony area as Morgan stayed close by to them so she could get some of the last bit of buttoning on the dress and then it was time for the first look with the Father of the Bride who, at the time, was hanging out by the ceremony area. I got him into place and then Morgan brought Stef out as well as her Mom to watch (we didn’t know this at the time but all of her girls were watching out of the upstairs window as well). They were in place so, we took a step back and let the moment happen naturally once she tapped him on the shoulder, he couldn’t help but smile and hug her and then they both had to fight tears back a little bit. We then turned to see her Mom crying watching the whole thing from the porch and it made for a super sweet moment in a photo of them walking back inside just before all of the guests arrived.
Now that everyone was tucked away and the guests were all arriving, it was time for the ceremony to start. We were finding our spots for all three of us to make sure there were no crossing angles and then a bee started following us for some reason but, it seemed to be more curious than anything. We also got to meet some more of the family and had a great conversation with Ben’s Father just before getting into place. The DJ started the music and everyone began to make their way down the aisle. Ben walked down with Stef’s brother Tony who would be officiating the wedding for them. You can see him shake Ben’s hand in one of the photos below and it also made for a lot of funny stories and moments as well as beautiful heartfelt moments as he played a big role in the beginning of their marriage. After they exchanged their vows and rings, he got to say the words everyone loves to hear, “You may kiss the bride”. They had done it, they were now husband and wife and got to walk back up the aisle, hand in hand, husband and wife. We whispered a little congratulations and got them to share a kiss before we all started the group photos. We the grandparents seated and got everyone from the ceremony to gather around really quick for a photo. We then dove into the list that we had as well as a few others and came into a little moment of one of my camera’s having a focusing issue that we resolved at the reception but, this is why you bring multiple cameras. Can I get an amen? Once we finished all of the family photos and a few portraits at the spot we were at already, we got to take a little hike to another corner of the property near an old barn and some big fields to do all of the bridal party photos and then finish back at the top of the hill. Once we sent off the wedding party, we took a few moments with the newlyweds to go check out the location they were originally going to hold the ceremony but, it rained a few days before making it a worry that it might too muddy or difficult to get to so, they moved it. The couple of course were all for it so, we went down and did their couple’s portraits there quickly before hiking back up to go to the reception quickly. Once we were at the reception and everyone was ready, the DJ announced Ben and Stef to come out into the courtyard. They made their way over to the middle for the Best Man and Matron of Honor’s speeches. Some stories were shared and tears were shed. The theme seemed to be that no matter what Stef and Ben did, they would always end up together once the timing was right. After that, they went into their first dance, Father/Daughter dance and Mother/Son dance. Then it was time for everyone to eat and the dance floors opened back up after a little while also. At this point everyone was walking around and talking since the family doesn’t all get to see each other often and as the drinks were flowing and the night was approaching. We started to see a crazy amount of bats swarming in the sky which was really cool and slightly confusing then the dance floor was full of line dancing near the end of our time there and continued as we were leaving. It seemed that the party went into the night and was full of so much joy which was a great note to end on. We are so excited for the Blackmon’s and what big things their future together holds!
Vendors List
Photography - Beauty & Beard Photography @beautyandbeardphoto
Ceremony Venue - Peacewood Farms
Reception Venue - Fitzpatrick Courtyard
Catering - Maddy's Public House
Planning - Brittany Buttrey
Wedding Cake - Krispy Creme
Officiant - Anthony Okazaki
Hair + Makeup - Shelby + Bridal Party
Decor - Client Provided
Dress - David’s Bridal
Men’s Suits - Men’s Wearhouse
Groom’s Ring - Manly Bands
Bride’s Rings - Trice Jewelers - Centinnial Colorado
