Hello Fall!! It’s been a while since we last saw each other, but I’m thankful we were able to feel the coolness of the season for Brandy and Tyler’s wedding. The air was dry, cool, and the day was perfect! Like most everyone, Fall is my favorite time of year, especially as a photographer. The colors, the cool temperatures, the early sunsets, I love it all… until the November time change, then I’m not so thrilled about 4:00 sunsets. What is up with that? This Saturday was a little different for me compared to most. Natasha and the kids were out in Kansas to see her brother and his wife, I stayed home since I had a full weekend. I told Brandy that chances were strong that I arrive at hair and makeup prep a little early because I figured I’d be pretty bored home alone. Well, I did show up early because I was home bored. So bored, I was actually dribbling a soccer ball in our living room for about 5 minutes! Thankfully, I did arrive early because as not expected, hair and makeup were running ahead of schedule. The 30 minutes of extra time allowed us to get hair and makeup pictures. This is a pretty rare event. Hair and makeup almost always run behind and that’s not a knock on stylist, not at all. It’s just that there are usually a lot of people to take care of and a lot of variables that you can’t plan on until everyone is present. This wasn’t the case during Brandy’s prep. Foxy Styles in Effingham nailed it on the hair/makeup front.
After hair and makeup, everyone got dressed and ready for the ceremony at the church. What a great ceremony it was as these two shared their vows with one another. After saying “I do” and walking down the aisle, Brandy and Tyler exited the church to a sea of bubbles and it was off to Tuscan Hills Winery for some outdoor pictures. The day of their wedding, from what I heard from other vendors was one of the most popular days of the year for weddings. As I pulled into Tuscan Hills Winery, there were two other wedding busses there with two different weddings all doing their own pictures. We don’t see this much in the Effingham area. The only time I’ve seen wedding picture sessions like this is when I’ve photographed weddings in the city. The afternoon could not have been any more perfect for pictures. The reason I love Fall weddings is that by 3:00 in the afternoon, the sun is down behind the treeline, providing us great shade for pictures. As opposed to summer weddings when 3:00 is pretty much noon lighting.
On to the reception, which took me to a place I’ve not been to yet, but I’ve wanted to photograph since they opened. Johnny and June’s in Flora, IL was the location and this place rocked!! The industrial look with brick, wood, and metal made for some great pictures. After the meal and the formal dances, it was time to celebrate. A lot of weddings, I have to remind the couple how important it is that they be on the dance floor. Where they are, the guests are too. And full dance floors make for great images. No reminders were needed at Brandy and Tyler’s wedding. They were busting a move all night, especially Tyler! His dance moves were unlike any other. Brandy and Tyler were so great to work with. From two engagement sessions to their wedding, these two were a ton of fun. Congratulations you two!
