A Corpus Christi Catholic Church Wedding

What do we do if it rains? This is one of the most frequently asked questions I hear from brides. I answered it yet again this afternoon when I met with a bride-to-be and her mom. We are no strangers to rain here in Mobile. That’s just our Gulf Coast climate for ya! I find myself wondering what it must be like to photograph weddings somewhere like Arizona. I’m sure they don’t get the rain question nearly as much as I do! Haha!

So, what do we do if it rains? My answer is that it depends on how much rain we get. If it’s an all-out storm, then it’s highly likely we’ll be doing most pictures indoors. This means it’s a HUGE bonus if your wedding venue has a lot of windows! It really rained on us last Saturday at Catherine and Thomas’ wedding and I was so thankful for the ample windows in the community center at Corpus Christi Catholic Church. If you have to deal with rain, having access to a deep porch, or floor to ceiling windows, is definitely a best case scenario!

I first met Catherine and Thomas at her sister’s wedding last year. I absolutely love when I have the opportunity to work with the same family on multiple weddings! The second time around there is such a familiarity with everyone. Working with this sweet family was seriously a dream both times! After planning two weddings less than 12 months apart, I think Catherine’s parents definitely deserve a vacation. As a sister of a bride-to-be, I know what’s going into planning just one wedding. I can’t imagine planning two at the same time!

Some of my favorite memories of this day include Catherine getting ready with her mom and sister – these three are just the sweetest! I also loved when Thomas surprised everyone by dipping Catherine when it was time for ‘the kiss’ at the end of the ceremony! Then I was nearly in tears as I watched Thomas dancing with Catherine’s grandmother at the reception. The song that was playing had been her grandparents’ song. Catherine’s mom told me her daddy would always stop anything he was doing to dance with her mom when the song came on the radio. It was one of the sweetest moments and I just can’t help but think that Catherine’s grandfather was smiling down on that moment!

Congratulations Catherine and Thomas! Thank you for letting me share in the joy of this day!

The bride having a Starbucks coffee ahead of portrait time totally reminded me of my sister!

I LOVE this flower girl portrait taken by my second photographer, Alexis! It totally captured this young lady’s enthusiasm for the role!

It was such a treat seeing Elizabeth and Dalton! It’s hard to believe their first anniversary is just around the corner!

VENDORS

Second Photographer & Assistant | Alexis Williams

Venue | Corpus Christi Catholic Church & Banquet Hall

Catering | Tyner’s Catering

Florist | All A Bloom

Cake | Cakes by Judi

DJ | Russell Combs DJ

Bride’s Gown | Bliss Bridal

Bridesmaid Dress | Azazie

Groom & Groomsman | The Black Tux

A Longleaf Pine Forest Family Session

I adore this sweet family! Joanna has been friends with my sister since high school, her aunt was my first grade teacher, and I photographed her brother’s wedding last October. I was so happy that I still had a slot open on my calendar for a fall session when she contacted me. It is always extra special when you get the chance to work with family friends!

Fall is the most insane portrait session season. Since we don’t get cooler weather down on the Gulf Coast until closer to mid-October, everyone waits until then to schedule portrait sessions. Add the seasonal influx of family sessions to a full calendar of weddings and editorial shoots and you have what I call insanity season. Insanity season is the reason I’m just now sharing some of my favorites from this adorable family session that I photographed back in November.

It was a bit chilly the day of this session, but sweet little Annie was all smiles. The session coincided with her first birthday and was the first session for the family since Annie’s newborn photos. I just couldn’t get over how happy Annie was the entire shoot! Joanna’s mom and sister joined us for part of the session, which was definitely helpful in getting some great expressions from Annie.

Having help from Joanna’s mom and sister also meant that I could get some mom and dad portraits of Joanna and Heath. I think this is a must for all parents on a family shoot (even though most say they don’t need a portrait without the kids, I always encourage it)! The light was so dreamy! The wedding photographer in me just couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a few couple portraits!

Look at this golden light!!! Such. A. DREAM.

View more family sessions here!

A Bragg-Mitchell Mansion Bridal Session

Bridal portrait sessions are so much fun, especially when the bride loves photos as much as KayLyn does! She was so excited for her session and I was so happy to be back at the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion to take these photos. It truly is one of my favorite portrait locations in Mobile! I also love bridal sessions because it’s often my opportunity to meet and spend time with the bride’s mom ahead of wedding day. KayLyn’s mom, Kim, is one of the sweetest ladies I’ve ever met. I loved that she and KayLyn’s aunt were able join us for this session. They were a huge help with adjusting the gown and keeping it from getting dirty!

While many brides choose to do their bridal session at their wedding venue, it’s also fun to choose a location that is not the same place where all your wedding photos will be taken. This gives you variety to your portraits and is a fun way to incorporate another location that is special to you. KayLyn’s sister also had her bridal portraits taken at the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion. I love that her mom will have a portrait of each daughter from this gorgeous location to hang in her home.

KayLyn and Sudduth were married in November at Oak Hollow Farm. I’ve been dying to share some of my favorites from her bridal session, but the crazy busy fall season kept pushing this post back. Even though it was a bit warmer than we all hoped for the day of this shoot, it was still an autumn dream!

View more bridal sessions here!

Get my bridal session tips here!

A Downtown Mobile Engagement

I frequently get two questions before engagement sessions. The first is usually, “what should we wear” and the second is often “can we bring our dog?” I love when couples want to include their pup in their engagement session and if they’re as sweet as Sarah and Wes’ sweet dog, Murphy, they’re definitely welcome!

Sarah, Wes and I met up at Washington Square park in the Oakleigh district for the first half of their session. This park is one of my absolute favorites because of the beautiful oak trees. It’s also typically a quieter park. On this day, we had the place mostly to ourselves! Sarah and I had previously met at her consultation, but this was my first time to meet Wes. I quickly learned that he is just as low key and down to earth as Sarah.

These two are planning a July downtown Mobile wedding. Like my sister, Sarah chose The Steeple for her reception. I love this venue and I’m excited that I’ll be there several times this year! To incorporate a bit of a city vibe into the second half of their session, I suggested we head downtown after Sarah and Wes changed into their dressier outfit. They were actually attending a wedding in downtown Mobile at the Cathedral this same evening. All they had to do at the end of the shoot was grab dinner before heading to the church!

For our second location, I chose the courthouse building for it’s beautiful columns, knowing the Cathedral (one of my other favorite locations) would likely be busy with wedding day portraits. I did not know when I picked the location that Wes is a lawyer. Here I am taking a lawyer to a courthouse for engagement photos! It was totally a coincidence, but we agreed it worked perfectly! Enjoy some of my favorites from my first engagement session of the new year!

A Downtown Mobile Cathedral Wedding

Happy New Year friends! I’m so excited to celebrate this first day of 2020 with a preview of Annie and Chris’ beautiful December wedding! While I didn’t meet Annie until she contacted me about photographing her wedding, I knew her sister and eldest brother in high school. We weren’t in the same grade, but Mobile is one big small town, especially if you attended Catholic school here. Going back to my high school years, if there was one thing I knew about the Annie’s family, it was that they are strong in their Catholic faith and fiercely loyal University of Notre Dame fans. I realize that’s technically two things, but I think they sort of blend into one for the Duffey family.

Annie and Chris both attended Notre Dame, as did all of Annie’s siblings and her brother-in-law. Talk about an amazing accomplishment! I love that their love of the Irish was infused into several details of the day. They began dinner with an Irish blessing and even invited a bagpiper to come to the reception to play the Notre Dame alma mater! It was amazing!

All in the Details

Heading into wedding day I knew that Annie was very detail-oriented. We had many conversations beforehand about the timing of everything, which was extra important since she and Chris were not seeing each other before the ceremony. I love that Annie thought this through in advance, leaving us some daylight post ceremony for the portraits that included both the bride and the groom. We did have a little rain towards the end of portrait time, but Annie and Chris didn’t let that dampen their joy one bit. Thankfully, the porch at the Cathedral provided us the right amount of protection from the rain.

Each moment of this day was full of intentionality. From the beautiful music that filled the Cathedral, to the custom artwork Annie created for the day, to the toasts shared over dinner – every element truly captured this sweet couple and their love for one another, their faith, their families and, of course, the University of Notre Dame.

A Perfect Ending

I’d been shooting for 14 hours when the clock struck midnight, but the dance floor was still full. No one wanted this party to end! When the last song was announced, everyone formed a circle around the dance floor. With their arms linked, they sang along to “Piano Man” at the top of their lungs. Chris led Annie to the center of the circle, spinning her around the floor for one last dance. It was a moment I don’t think I’ll forget. To bear witness to such joy is a privilege. I loved capturing every minute of this day. I cannot think of a better way to close out my 2019 wedding season! Congratulations Annie and Chris!

I love this moment between Annie, her sister and her two nieces!

Annie did all the artwork for her wedding! I am blown away by her talent!

I love this capture by my second photographer, Toni, just minutes before Annie walked down the aisle.

The sweetest flower girl moment EVER! Just look at how excited these two are!

Another one of my favorite moments of the day and definitely one of my favorite photos from the ceremony.

Y’all, this ballroom looked like something straight out of a winter fairytale! I was in photographer heaven photographing all these beautiful details!

This officially marked my first wedding with a bagpiper!

I loved seeing so many friends and past clients at this wedding!

Chris dancing with his sister at the reception was the sweetest moment!

Annie and Chris shared one final dance together after the guests headed outside for the exit. Best idea ever!

VENDORS

Second Photographer | Toni Goodie

Photographer’s Assistant | Katy Rasp

Videographer | Robbie Reynolds

Ceremony | Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception

Reception Venue & Catering | Renaissance Riverview Hotel, Mobile

Florals | Lenae Denson, Cleveland the Florist

Cake | Couture Cakes

Hair Stylist | Becca Townley

Makeup Artist | Elisabeth Wells, Studio 33

Band | Emerald Empire Band

Lighting | Willow Bridge

Bride’s Gown | I Do Bridal, Essence of Australia

Bridesmaid Dresses | Bella Bridesmaids, Alfred Sung

Groomsmen Attire | The Black Tux

Calligraphy | Mike Macaluso and Kirby Anne Plessala

Artwork | Annie Duffey Ruflin