One thing about being a photographer local to where I grew up is having the opportunity to reconnect with friends of past. This was one such wedding. Edwin and I (along with his groomsmen) all grew up together in grade school. I can’t remember how far back it goes, but I’m pretty sure it goes back to kindergarten, probably even pre-school. I moved away at the beginning of 8th grade, so some of these guys I’ve not seen since then, or maybe in passing. I’m thankful for a job that has allowed me to reconnect with many lost connections and have a chance to catch up. That said, the day was, of course, not about me. Even though I demand a lot of people the day of the wedding (ha!), it’s all about the bride and groom. The wedding, including prep time, took place at the Austin Mansion in Effingham, IL. If you’ve not been and you’re engaged, I highly recommend checking it out. It’s such a cool building with so much history and makes for such a great ceremony. Everything went so perfectly throughout the day. We ran ahead of schedule most of the day and not only had plenty of photo opportunities, but we also had a perfect day for their wedding too. We did pictures out by Lake Sara, partly because it was close by to the reception hall, but also because during the Fall, this area looks so amazing, especially during the time of their outdoor pictures. As the sun shines from behind the trees, the golden glow of Fall becomes very vibrant.
After pictures by Lake Sara, we made our way to the reception hall which was out at Country Haven Event Center. I have never been to this location before but walking in I was pretty impressed. The walls were lined with draping and for what looked to be an old machine shed for a farm actually looked pretty impressive. However, upon walking in, it was extremely dark. I thought maybe they were just aiming to have a low-lit intimate look. It was at this point the DJ notified us that they had lost power. It was an extremely windy day, chances are a power line had issues. The staff was quick to pivot and went to get a generator so that power could at least be given to the DJ and some lighting throughout the hall. For having no power, it actually wasn’t a bad looking setup. I joked to Natasha that I fully expected the power to kick back on during the first dance. I thought when the power went out, all the overhead lighting would be on and in middle of the first dance it would be this blast of light coming from the lighting above. I was right about the first part, the power did, in fact, kick on during the first dance, but thankfully not all the overhead lighting was on, just the accent lighting, so it actually worked out pretty great, but we got a chuckle out of it because I definitely called the timing. It was such a great reception. The wedding was perfect. We couldn’t ask for a better wedding day full of amazing memories. I’m so thankful and honored that Kayla and Edwin would allow us to be a part of their wedding day and capture all the moments.
