A St. Ignatius Catholic Church Wedding

I have been searching for a way to appropriately describe how it felt to photograph the first wedding at the new St. Ignatius Catholic church. I am still struggling to describe the experience. It is always an honor to document a wedding day for a bride and groom, but this day felt like a celebration for an entire parish! I felt blessed to be part of it. Words are truly inadequate for describing how wonderful this day was!

A few days before Carrie and Adam’s wedding, I went by the church for a tour. I was so thankful for the opportunity to soak in every little detail. In the tour brochure, I read the following: “The nave is of the grandest and oldest order, pulling the worshiper out of the narthex and into the embrace of what is architecturally awe-inspiring.” I cannot think of a better description of how I felt walking into this beautiful church for the first time. I was inspired! I could easily see why Carrie cried the first time she saw the space after it was completed!

Months ago, when Carrie and Adam chose St. Ignatius Catholic Church for their wedding, it was a bit of a risk. Construction timelines are notorious for running behind schedule, the weather can be unpredictable (we had two hurricanes last year!), and there are so many details that must align for a project like this to be completed on time, including carefully moving and installing the beautiful stained glass windows.

To be the first wedding in the new church would be so special for Carrie, who grew up in this parish. Even though she prayed that their Nuptial Mass could be held in the new church, Carrie never lost sight of the fact that the most important thing was that she was getting to marry Adam – whether that was in the old church, or the new one.

The Bells are Ringing

The moment Carrie walked down the aisle at the beginning of the ceremony is something I will never forget. I could see the tears in her eyes as she passed by. I didn’t realize until after Father Shields began speaking that I had been holding my breath while she made her way down the aisle. It was just one of those moments that takes your breath away!

Carrie and Adam are two of the kindest people I’ve ever met. Every minute working with them was a dream! I have so many favorite moments from this day, including some of the sweetest ever First Looks and an adorable grandparent dance at the reception. But the ceremony recessional is without contest my favorite moment of the whole day. After they were introduced as Mr. & Mrs. Poer, their guests began to applaud and you could just feel everyone sharing in this joyful moment! Then, as Carrie and Adam made their way down the aisle, the church bells started to ring. And what a beautiful sound it was!

These First Looks Carrie shared with her dad, her sisters and her grandfather had all of us in tears! I love sweet moments like this!

 

The bride’s room at the new St. Ignatius Church is beautiful! I loved taking a few portraits of Carrie in this room before she walked down the aisle!

I specifically asked my second photographer, Alexis, to take this shot from the choir loft, framed exactly this way, because this is what I pictured in my mind when I toured the church before the wedding day. When she showed it to me on the back of the camera I could barely contain my excitement!

This photo that I took during the ceremony is definitely one of my favorites from the day. In a few months there will be stained glass windows installed behind the altar.

Carrie shared a special dance with her “Papa” after the cake cutting and it was a highlight of the reception. Their special song was “Footloose” – isn’t that so fun?!

VENDORS

Second Photographer | Alexis Williams

Third Photographer + Photographer Assistant | Regina Gomez-Guillen

Planning | Jenna Laine Weddings

Getting Ready Location | Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Mobile

Ceremony | St. Ignatius Catholic Church

Reception | Alabama Contemporary Art Center

Catering | Naman’s Catering

Florist | Belle Bouquet

Cake | Cakes by Judi

Hair Stylist | Becca Townley Snell – Town and Co Salon

Makeup Artist | Courtney Matthews

Band | Fountain City Players

Rentals | Port City Rentals

Bride’s Gown | Bliss Bridal – Justin Alexander

Bridesmaids | Bella Bridesmaids – Amsale

Groom + Groomsmen | Mr. Burch Formal Wear

Calligrapher | Lydia Ladd

Wedding Invitations | Reaves Engraving

Save the Dates | Sally Goodloe

 

A Bragg-Mitchell Mansion Portrait Session

I have been looking forward to taking Savannah’s Azalea Trail Maid portraits for an entire year! Seriously, this session was originally scheduled for April 2020. We all know why it didn’t end up happening then. What was planned as a kick off to Savannah’s year serving as an Azalea Trail Maid, turned into an end of the year celebration shoot.

First the pandemic, and then the crazy Mobile weather, forced us to reschedule this shoot multiple times. I was so glad we finally got a chance to get this session in last week! I love taking portraits for any Azalea Trail Maid, but I especially love it when their dress is my favorite color! Savannah’s dress has a lace waterfall in back and features a design of graduated ruffles. It was absolutely gorgeous!

We did this session at The Bragg-Mitchell Mansion in Mobile and it truly is the perfect setting for Azalea Trail Maid portraits! Savannah told me she loves the Haint Blue porch ceiling. Her only request during the session was to get a shot that somehow showcased this ceiling. Her request inspired me to take one of my favorite portraits ever during the shoot!

Savannah is such a sweet young lady and is excited to head off to college in the fall. She dreams of one day becoming a plastic surgeon! With her positive attitude and cheerful spirit, I have no doubt she will achieve any goals she sets for herself! Congratulations Savannah on serving the City of Mobile on the 2020 – 2021 Azalea Trail Court!

 

All About the Pantaloons

The pantaloons the Azalea Trail Maids wear under their hoop skirts are just about the cutest thing ever! They also have interchangeable, customized pockets so the girls have some place to stash their keys, phone, lip gloss, and anything else they might need during an appearance. The very last thing we did before ending this shoot was to take some pantaloon pictures and they are seriously some of my favorites!

Savannah represented Satsuma High School on the 2020 – 2021 Azalea Trail Court. Her dress was designed and made by Mrs. Elsie Yates and Mrs. Judy Lott.

A Little Point Clear Wedding

When I arrived at Little Point Clear the morning of Ashley and Tyler’s wedding, it was already raining, but I was hopeful there would be a break mid-day. Ashley and her bridesmaids were in the bridal suite at Little Point Clear, enjoying lunch and some champagne while the hair and makeup team worked their magic. Everyone was in great spirits even when the thunder boomed outside.

Ashley was so positive and didn’t seem at all stressed about the weather. I told her that we were probably going to have to tweak our post-ceremony portrait plan and, without hesitation, she told me that she trusted whatever I felt was best. Even though it was raining, I knew we could still get beautiful natural light portraits using the porch at Little Point Clear and that’s exactly what we did! This spot was such a dream and it kept us dry!

What Do We Do If it Rains?

No bride dreams of rain being part of their wedding day, but the reality of our Gulf Coast weather is that it rains a lot. I am often asked, “what do we do if it rains on our wedding day?” My answer is always the same…it will still be your wedding day and you’ll still be getting married, so take a deep breath, trust your vendors and enjoy every moment of your special day! Ultimately, what matters most is that you’re getting married. That is something to celebrate rain or shine!

Ashley and Tyler’s wedding was such a fun and joyful wedding day! The rain didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. In fact, the dance floor was full until the final song of the night! No one wanted this party to end!

This wedding day was gorgeous from beginning to end! I love that Ashley’s color palette so perfectly complimented the colors at Little Point Clear! I’m still obsessed with this hand-stenciled design on the floors at this Fairhope Alabama wedding venue. It was the perfect background for all of Ashley’s lovely bridal details! And, of course, since blue is my favorite color, I was smitten with Ashley’s pale blue shoes and her velvet blue ring box.

This next shot would not have happened if my second photographer, Alexis, hadn’t noticed the rain slacked off while we were doing family portraits. She asked the Little Point Clear staff to position their adorable Volkswagen van for portraits while I was finishing up family formals. Then we dashed out from the tent for a few quick bride and groom photos! My team often reads my mind and it always amazes me. I’m so thankful to Alexis for noticing this opportunity during cocktail hour! Go team!

Vendors

Second Photographer | Alexis Williams

Photographer’s Assistant | Regina Gomez-Guillen

Venue | Little Point Clear

Videographer | Mondaini Films

Coordinator | Designs by Karon

Florals | Karon Harrison

Caterer | Cafe Catering

Cake | Sugar House

Makeup Artist | Mackenzie Harrison

Hair Stylist | Chelsey Wedgeworth

DJ | D’Jones Entertainment

Rentals | Gulf Coast Events + Rentals

Bride’s Gown | Ivory + White

Bridesmaid Dresses | Show Me Your MuMu

Groom + Groomsmen | Men’s Wearhouse

A Bienville Square Engagement Session

Last year on Halloween, I was photographing Jill and Cooper’s wedding at the bluffs above Fairhope Pier. It turns out that Haley and Aaron were getting engaged at the same time, on the same day, at Fairhope Pier. When Haley told me the story, I told her that we must have barely missed running into each other because we took some portraits down at the pier after the ceremony, just before sunset.

That particular day was a gorgeous one on Mobile Bay. Even though the pier had been damaged from recent hurricanes, Aaron found a beautiful spot, got down on one knee and asked Haley to be his wife! A photographer, who was hidden from their view, captured the moment on camera.

Like me, Haley is a Spring Hill College graduate. She and Aaron are planning a St. Joseph’s Chapel wedding for this fall. I am so excited to have another wedding on my calendar at this church this year. It’s truly one of my favorites!

For their engagement session, Haley, Aaron and I met up in Bienville Square in downtown Mobile. This was my first time shooting at this park since it was ravaged by a hurricane last year. I was so excited to see all the new spring growth on the beautiful oak trees. This Mobile landmark is starting to shine once again and I was so glad we ended up doing the session at this location. The light on this day was so dreamy!

A Wedding Celebration at Izenstone

We had just finished taking Anna’s bridal portraits when the news broke about colleges cancelling classes due to the coronavirus. I’d lightly followed the news about the virus, but honestly never imagined how things would change after that day. We’d had such a fun session and both Anna’s stepmom, Cindy, and her future mother-in-law, Anna, had come along to help with the dress. We’d talked about the upcoming wedding day the whole session. Anna was so excited to marry Michael!

Sadly, before I even delivered her bridal portrait gallery, we knew that they would not have the wedding day they envisioned in April 2020. Instead, on their wedding day, I went to Michael’s parents’ house, where they exchanged vows in a backyard ceremony. Only their immediate families were present. It was a beautiful ceremony and I was so happy to be able to be there to capture it, but I prayed these two would eventually get to have the bigger celebration with extended family and friends.

Anna and Michael were about to embark on a busy year, with both beginning a year of residency after completing medical school last May. There was no way they could fit in a wedding celebration prior to spring 2021. To say that I was thankful to be available on their April 2021 wedding date is an understatement! I get so invested in my couples and it would have been heartbreaking to not be able to capture this next set of memories for Anna and Michael.

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

This past Saturday, Anna and Michael finally got the wedding celebration they dreamed of! And what a wonderful day it was! The morning of this wedding, a strong set of storms moved through our area. For a while, it looked like everything might have to be moved indoors at Izenstone. I wasn’t worried because this is a great venue with ample space inside, but I knew it wasn’t what Anna had envisioned for this day. After having to wait a whole extra year for this celebration, I was hopeful the sun would come out at least long enough for us to get a few outdoor portraits.

To my surprise, not only did the sun come out…we had the most gorgeous spring weather you could imagine! This day was full of so many beautiful moments that I cannot pick just one favorite. Anna and Michael’s families and friends are just as sweet as they are, so it was just a complete joy spending the day capturing all these memories. From Anna and Michael’s first look, to the sweetest-ever toasts at the reception, to the grand sparkler exit…this day was a DREAM. Congratulations Dr. & Dr. Ulmer!!!

I often save putting on the boutonniere for after the First Look because I don’t want it to get squashed by a hug. I love that Michael’s mom was able to come out and pin on his boutonniere after the First Look. It was such a sweet mother-son moment!

Portraits with these two are a dream!

I love candid ceremony shots! Michael was so excited to see his bride coming down the aisle!

VENDORS

Second Photographer | Alexis Williams

Photographer’s Assistant | Regina Gomez-Guillen

Videography | Summer Films

Venue | Izenstone

Coordinator | Melissa Sprinkle, Izenstone

Flowers | The Shade Tree

Cake | Couture Cakes

Catering | Tamara’s Downtown

Entertainment | Mike Jones

Makeup + Hair | Jillian Jensen Holt

Bride’s Gown | Bliss Bridal

Groom + Groomsmen Attire | Jos. A. Bank