I knew after I photographed Sarah and Mike for their engagement session last spring that their wedding would be lots of fun and very easy to photograph. They had been introduced by friends who were amused by how easy it was to see that Sarah and Mike had fallen in love just by the way that they look at each other. Although naturally reserved, Sarah lights up when she looks at Mike, and he looks as though he still cannot believe his good luck every time he looks at her. They wanted their wedding to be a relaxed fun day for everyone to enjoy without a lot of fuss and bother. Charming and beautiful from beginning to end, the wedding day was the perfect fit for the two of them. They exchanged their vows on a beautiful day in July on the lawn overlooking the polo field at the Saint Louis Country Club, surrounded by all of their family and friends.

Every bit of the day was charming down to the last detail. A special thanks to Janet Rollo, a close family friend, who helped orchestrate the event that day and made my job so much easier and to my talented and always calm assistant, Brent Holzapfel. Danielle Style did the very natural makeup and hair for Sarah that was complemented by a sweet wreath of baby’s breath in her hair. Traipsing across the lawn in her beautiful gown designed by Grace Loves Lace from Australia with her shy smile, Sarah looked like some kind of woodland fairy from an old novel. The groom’s wooden cufflinks and tie bar perfectly complemented his gingham seersucker tie (which matched the color of the bridesmaid’s dresses from Bella Bridesmaids) and khaki sport coat. His boutonniere of succulents and baby’s breath wrapped with twine was created by Barb Wehking from Bloomin Buckets whose beautiful flower arrangements also created the perfect atmosphere for this casual but chic wedding. The guests found their way to their tables for dinner with cute bottles of homemade limoncello that the bride and groom had made for everyone in the months leading up to their wedding. A large assortment from Cake Pops by Liz made a wonderful and portable dessert for the guests as they made their way to the dance floor after dinner. Sarah and Mike had loved the very natural look of nighttime photography they had seen in some of my samples that were done without flash using only market lights hung over the outdoor dance floor for illumination. Photographing a dance floor this way is wonderful - it allows me to remain almost invisible while I capture the party as it truly appeared that night. Thanks to my Canon 1Ds and Mark III cameras and fine prime lenses!! And the dancing was truly spectacular at this wedding - all of their friends and family loved to dance anyway, but the sounds Fabulous Mo Town Review kept the dance floor packed all night long. One special note was that this also happened to be Mike's birthday - his best one ever!!

Congratulations to you both!!