Wedding season is in full swing and I’m loving it! This was wedding 2 of 3 during this weekend. Nothing energizes me more than getting the opportunity to photograph three weddings on the same weekend. Jalyne and Derek’s wedding day brought a new location for me, Stoney Ridge Event Center in Robinson, Illinois is a relatively new venue and wow was this place pretty amazing, more on that later. The wedding day preparations took place at the church and there seemed to be a pretty relaxed vibe in both camps (guys and ladies). This always makes for such a smooth wedding when everyone seems to be pretty relaxed. Little to no stress was felt, or at least it was hidden very well, so I knew their wedding was going to be great simply because of this. The ceremony went smoothly and what seemed like a blink of an eye, we were on our way to Stoney Ridge Event Center, which was only a few miles down the road. As I mentioned, this place was pretty amazing. It seems like for a country barn style venue, they thought of everything. Being a big open barn with a concrete floor, one concern would be the sound being overwhelming because of how echoey it would be. However, the owners installed insulated, or specialized panels throughout the interior of the venue to ensure it was not overwhelmingly loud. Additionally, where guests sat to eat, it was carpeted and padded, this also helped with the sound. I’ve been in large halls where the sound was not considered and from just guests talking to one another, it would be so loud you would have to yell to have a conversation. Not here. The pond and deck area was a super nice touch as well, as this allowed guests an opportunity to step outside and enjoy some nice country scenery but still be right there for whenever special events happened during the reception. I can’t say enough good things about Stoney Ridge Event Center. The staff was great to work with, it looked amazing and photographed very nicely. On top of all that, Jalyne and Derek’s personalities, the smoothness of the day’s timeline, everything… it was a great wedding.
