A Bragg-Mitchell Mansion Wedding

My brides know to expect a preview of their wedding photographs within a week of their wedding day. So far, I’ve always been able to stick with my usual Wednesday schedule for these wedding day blog posts. I truly look forward to writing them and curating a selection of my favorite photographs from the wedding day!

Due to the pandemic, Libby and Hunter had to wait an additional five months before they could celebrate their wedding day. I wasn’t about to make them wait out a hurricane before getting their blog post up! Seriously, 2020, can we get a break?! I’m not sure what this storm will do, or how we’ll be affected, but I pushed up my normal Wednesday blog post by one day just in case we do end up losing power as the storm passes through the Mobile Bay area.

Libby and Hunter chose one of my favorite Mobile Alabama Wedding Venues for their special day! I seriously LOVE shooting at The Bragg-Mitchell Mansion because it is a dream location rain or shine. The day of this wedding there was a sixty percent chance of rain. I was praying so hard for the rain to go around where we were shooting because I feel like these two have been through enough already. Although we kept seeing clouds off in the distance and at one point we did feel what felt like rain drops, it never actually rained. In fact, the sun even came out for a short time during the afternoon. I couldn’t believe it!

Beautiful Wedding Details

This wedding was originally scheduled for April. When Libby and Hunter had to postpone to September, we had to rework a few things in her wedding day timeline. Location logistics are probably the biggest stressor when it comes to planning a wedding. Traveling between locations and making that jive with rental times for each vendor can be a challenge. I knew Libby wanted her details photographed at her wedding venue, but we weren’t going to be there early enough to fit in detail and portrait time before the ceremony. How could we make it all work?

Then it occurred to me that we needed was a separate session just for the details! And that’s just what we did! I loved getting to photograph all these beautiful details ahead of wedding day because it meant I could spend more time styling each shot, which was so much fun! It also meant that Libby didn’t have to worry about packing any extra elements for detail photos for wedding day. When I arrived at the hotel the morning of the wedding, I enjoyed getting to focus on candid photos of Libby with her girls and those fun pajama pictures that we all love! I’m so glad that Libby wanted to schedule this extra session. I told her I might have to add this as an option for wedding packages in the future!

Favorite Moments

I have so many favorite moments from this wedding day, but right at the top would have to be Libby’s first look with her dad, as well as her first look with Hunter! Libby’s dad was smiling ear-to-ear when he opened his eyes and saw his baby girl standing in her gown. Then the room was full of laughter when he opened the watch she gave him. Libby had engraved “Do Not Be Late” on the back, a nod to her dad’s tendency to run behind schedule.

It looked like it was about to rain as we were heading out for Libby’s first look with Hunter. I felt like I was holding my breath the entire time, hoping the rain drops would hold off at least until they shared this moment together. When Hunter turned around, the look of joy on his face was such a sweet thing to witness. I am actually surprised he didn’t pass out! Libby literally took his breath away! This moment is definitely going down as one of my favorite moments of the year.

Libby and Hunter, I know the wait to walk down the aisle was hard, but I think we can agree that it was worth waiting for this perfect day! Congratulations and may you be blessed with many years of happiness together!

I loved these gorgeous bouquets by Sarah Beth’s Florist! Thank you to my friend Debby Cullum for second shooting with me and for this gorgeous photo of the bridesmaid bouquets!

This brother-sister duo was the sweetest! I just had to share this one for their mom, who is Hunter’s aunt.

And this marked the first wedding for Libby’s newest nephew! Just look at his beautiful blue eyes!

I LOVED how this program shared both information about the ceremony and about Libby and Hunter! I love these shots that Debby took of it too!

Best of all, I got to see some of my other couples at this wedding! Katie and Kendrick are one of my 2020 couples and Hannah and Ryan are one of my 2019 couples!

VENDORS

Second Photographer | Debby Cullum

Venue | Bragg-Mitchell Mansion

Wedding Planner | Carrie Pace

Videographer | JD Cobb Productions

Cake | Couture Cakes

Caterer | Georgia Roussos

Bar Service | Bottle’s Up Mobile 

Florist | Sarah Beth’s Florist

Hair Stylist | Amy Jones + Emily Salata

Ceremony Musicians | Enen Yu, Mobile Symphony Orchestra

DJ | D’Jones Entertainment

Bride + Bridesmaid Dresses | I Do Bridal and Formal, Morilee

Groom + Groomsmen Attire | Francia’s Formal Affair

Calligraphy | Wonderfully Made

A Bragg-Mitchell Mansion Bridal Session

A bride spends so much time searching for the perfect gown for her wedding day. It has to match the vision that she has in her mind. It has to make her feel amazing! When she finally finds that perfect dress, wether it’s after trying on two or twenty, she only gets to wear it a maximum of two times. How crazy is that?!

Bridal sessions are the ultimate definition of girl-time fun. It’s kind of like grown up dress up! What Southern bride doesn’t want an excuse to put on a gorgeous gown and just have fun being in the dress for a few hours?!

Libby was so much fun to work with on this shoot. I knew I was going to love photographing this gown from the minute I saw a picture of it. That skirt was a DREAM on camera! It was also a perfect match for the scenery of old oak trees and grand columns at the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion.

Six Months in Waiting

I took these photos exactly one month before Libby and Hunter’s original wedding date. At that time, we had no idea how the world was about to change! A pandemic was definitely not something that was on our minds. I originally prepared this post just a couple days after the portraits were taken. I remember thinking that it was going to be hard to wait thirty days before sharing these images. Never did I imagine for one second that I would be waiting for six months to share them!!!

Even though this afternoon was a rainy one, the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion provided ample options for taking portraits while staying dry. We were lucky that the azaleas had started to bloom earlier in the week. I just love that little pop of color in the background of some of the outdoor photos. Now that Libby is finally Mrs. Callan, I can finally share some of my favorite portraits from her gorgeous bridal session! Yay!

“I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to do a bridal session,” Libby exclaimed as we wrapped up the shoot. I have to say that I agree one hundred percent! They’re just that much fun!

Makeup | Becca Townley

Hair | Amy Jones

Flowers | Sarah Beth’s Florist

A Village of Springhill Engagement Session

There are certain people that you meet who make you feel like you’ve known them forever. Grace and Connor are one-hundred percent those types of people. From the first time I met Grace, I felt like we were old friends who just hadn’t seen each other in a while. Then she, Connor and I bonded over our love of all things Harry Potter and Disney during their consultation, which we held via FaceTime because of the pandemic. I knew I was going to love getting to spend more time with them at their engagement session. I was right!

Grace and Connor have the sweetest love story. They met in a church parking lot when they both were surprising a mutual friend with baked goodies for her birthday. Grace had made a cake and Connor showed up with Princess cupcakes. Grace said she knew he was special right from that moment. After a long chat in the parking lot, Connor got Grace’s number from their friend. Their first date was a trip to Harry Potter World…Grace is a Hufflepuff and Connor a Ravenclaw if you’re wondering.

Nearly four years after that first parking lot meeting, Connor proposed to Grace at the Cathedral where they first met. I’m pretty sure I sighed out loud when Grace told me the story. So romantic, right?!

Grace and Connor live in Orlando, where they both work for competing theme parks. I told them that if it wasn’t for Covid, I would have hopped on a plane to do this session in Harry Potter World, or Disney OR both! But I love that Grace wanted to do this session in her hometown. She grew up in the Spring Hill area so we decided to meet up at Carpe Diem and shoot wherever the light was good that day. As it turned out, dreamy golden light followed us around for this entire shoot. I was in heaven!

A Special Heirloom

Just when I thought this shoot couldn’t get any better, Grace pulled out an antique quilt and asked if we could incorporate it into some of their photos. I almost lost my mind with excitement. I am obsessed with all things antique, but especially antique quilts! Quilting has been a hobby of mine for years, but it wasn’t until the pandemic shut things down earlier this year that I picked it back up. It literally kept me from stressing out about all the cancellations and postponements due to Covid. As soon as I saw Grace’s quilt, my mind went into overdrive.

We spread the quilt on the ground and after taking a few photos, I knew these were going to be some of my favorites from the shoot. When I asked them to lie down on the quilt and gaze up at the sky, Grace responded, “Like Carl and Ellie in Up!” I was like, YES!!! Clearly we are kindred spirits! Side note, Grace had me take the Sorting Hat Quiz on Pottermore and I’m also officially a Hufflepuff.

Grace and Connor, thank you for such a fun shoot! I can’t wait to photograph your wedding day in the spring! You two are just magical!

Celebrating 25 Years in Love

Surprising your wife with an anniversary portrait session is always a good idea – especially when you’re celebrating twenty five years together! I have known Walt and Juli through the tennis community for years (Walt is actually the reason I know how to play tennis). When the pandemic caused them to cancel their anniversary trip to France, Walt started searching for an alternative way to celebrate this special milestone. That’s when he asked me about a portrait session. I loved the idea!

I met up with Juli and Walt at Spring Hill College. Juli told me how much she loves oak trees, so the Avenue of the Oaks turned out to be the perfect spot for some portraits of these two. We were super lucky with the weather on this day! The slightly cooler temperature and lower humidity was definitely not the norm for August. It got me all excited for fall weather, which is still a long way off for us in the deep South.

Want to make an anniversary portrait session even more special? Turn it into a true date night and plan a nice dinner afterwards! Walt and Juli headed to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse after this shoot. While I know it’s not the same as dining under the lights of Paris, I think Walt’s anniversary surprise turned out perfectly. Best of all, you can tell these two are just as in love today as they were the day they became husband and wife.

Tips for Planning a Surprise Anniversary Session

As someone commented on my sneak peek post from this session on Facebook – husbands take note! If it’s been a while since you and your spouse have been photographed together, an anniversary is the perfect time to celebrate with a portrait session of just the two of you! Updating that family photo with an annual Christmas card session is just not the same thing. This is time for just the two of you to spend together. Here are my tips for making a surprise like this a success (ladies, feel free to anonymously send this to your husbands!):

1. Give your wife a heads up! Seriously, no lady wants to be thrown into a portrait session on the spot. We need to make sure our hair and makeup are just right. Plus, we will want to coordinate our outfits. Go ahead and get some dates from the photographer and then share the surprise with your wife in advance.
2. Make reservations for dinner afterwards. I always schedule portrait sessions around Golden Hour, meaning we’re shooting in the late afternoon. This means you’ll be finishing up pictures around dinner time. Plan to take your wife to her favorite restaurant for a delicious meal after your session.
3. Choose a location you love, or that is special to the two of you. There is no shortage of beautiful locations around here. If you aren’t sure where a good portrait spot would be, your photographer will be happy to provide suggestions. If you are planning dinner afterwards, let your photographer know and they can likely recommend a location that is relatively close to the restaurant.

A Bellingrath Gardens Wedding

My two August brides have three things in common. First, both of their names are Mary Catherine. Second, they both have beautiful auburn hair. And, third, both are brides I got to work with because of the pandemic. Crazy coincidence, right?!

I was booked on Mary Catherine’s original wedding date, so when she decided to change her plans due to the situation with Covid, she reached out once again to see if I had availability on her new date. She and Michael decided to scale back their plans for a big celebration. Instead, they would exchange vows in an intimate ceremony with only family in attendance. I have wanted to photograph a wedding at Bellingrath Gardens for years, so when Mary Catherine mentioned this was where their small ceremony would be, I was beyond excited!

My assistant, Alexis, and I arrived at Bellingrath Gardens early in the morning the day of this wedding. I was so thankful for the golf cart that shuttled us to the house because it was a steamy day. As we pulled up, I saw the sunshine streaming through the moss-covered oak trees. I could hardly contain my excitement. Then I saw Mary Catherine’s gorgeous wedding gown and I knew bride and groom portrait time was going to be amazing.

We were heading outside for Mary Catherine’s first look with her dad when the heavens opened and the rain came pouring down. Welcome to south Alabama in August. Our weather can change in the blink of an eye around here this time of year. Thankfully, we had access to a covered porch and were able to keep Mary Catherine out of the downpour. Yay for locations with covered porches and breezeways!

The rain had stopped by the time the ceremony was over and we were able to take advantage of being in the gorgeous garden setting for all their portraits. Let me tell you, Bellingrath is a dreamy location even when there are drops of rain dripping from the trees!

This flower that Mary Catherine pinned to her bouquet is from her grandmother’s wedding gown! I love heirlooms like this, don’t you?!

The rain paused right after Mary Catherine and Michael shared their first look, so we dashed out from under the porch and jumped into portrait time!

This dress in the Bellingrath setting was perfection!!!

And just before the ceremony, the rain returned! Thank goodness the ceremony was indoors!

I love this photo that my assistant, Alexis, took of Mary Catherine and her daddy!

These two are troopers! They did not let the rain spoil their day.

I just love their positivity and their sense of humor!

Also, I LOVE when I have time to grab a portrait of grandparents on a wedding day! These two were so sweet!

Celebrating with a Dance

I love that Mary Catherine and Michael chose to share a first dance, as well as dances with their parents. I always look forward to first dance moments on wedding days. It’s candid moments like these that made me fall in love with photography in the first place. If you’re having a smaller celebration due to the pandemic, I encourage you to still make this tradition part of your day! You will not regret it and your parents will love it too!

Can you believe it started pouring down rain again the minute we got out to the covered pier?! Thank goodness it was only rain and not a thunderstorm because we were pretty much stuck out here!

As Mary Catherine and Michael were dancing, all I could think about was how beautiful the light was on this covered pier. The portraits from this spot are some of my favorites from the day (even though it’s hard to pick favorites at a place like Bellingrath)!

VENDORS

Photographer’s Assistant | Alexis Williams

Venue | Bellingrath Gardens

Flowers | Belle Bouquet

Bride’s Gown | Bliss Bridal

Groom’s Attire | The Black Tux