It’s hard to believe that 3 days ago I was witnessing this incredible wedding day 2 hours away from home. Mike and Katarina’s wedding at the Lounsbury House was almost unreal! I’m so glad to have photographed their wedding, because I have pictures to prove this awesomeness of their elegant wedding. Even though Katarina and Michael knew full well that most of my clients’ weddings are more casual, outdoor and farm weddings, I am so happy that they trusted me to photograph their classic and elegant wedding that was so full of delight. Whether it be farm, camp, estate, castle, or ballroom, the important aspect for me is that I am photographing authentic friends and family THOROUGHLY enjoying their time with a down-to-earth bride and groom, no matter where they are. One of Katarina and Michael’s goals was to have a classic, fun wedding in an elegant location, but without the “stuffiness” and they totally accomplished that. And just like most of the weddings I shoot, everyone at Katarina & Michael’s wedding was having a blast. You could see the look of absolute, beaming happiness on Katarina and Mike’s faces.
Getting Ready at the Lounsbury House
I have to say that I love it when my groom clients get creative! Like last week’s wedding, the groom (Jon) wrote a set of notes that correlated with a gift item to his bride. For Michael’s gifts to his groomsmen, he wrote special notes to each groomsmen inside of unique specially picked books. Each book was different and picked for a reason for each groomsmen. (Now this is where I can’t remember the reasons, so I’m glad they hired videographers of Tweed Video Productions to capture this, LOL)
Katarina’s family is from Finland, and the Finnish tradition of a flower crown made by florist Confetti Events was a sweet addition to her light and flowy Sarah Seven chiffon dress. One of my top favorite getting ready images from this wedding is this wide angle shot with the videographer in the corner…I feel this is more like “documentary” or wedding photojournalism, documenting fast moments.
Get “natural” bride and groom portraits via the “First Look”
I loved this spot for the “first look” which is a brief moment within an hour or so before the ceremony where Michael will see his bride for the first time that day. It’s such a unique set of images captured during the First Look. After this, we photographed family photos and wedding party groups pretty swiftly so we finished 1/2 hour before the ceremony started. Here are a few shots I cherry picked out of a bunch!
I also LOVE the photos of all the wedding party. But we’ll have to wait until the online gallery for guests because there are wayyy too many great ones!
Because we did the first look, Mike and Katarina could relax after the ceremony and enjoy cocktail hour with everybody. I feel like the day is so short and time flies so much on the wedding day that you should spend as much time as you can with your guests!
Friends that know me well…they know that I’m obsessed with lavender (like, lavender lattes and scones) so of course I loved this lavender touch to the ceremony.
Reception Fun at the Lounsbury House
Michael and Katarina grooved to “And then I Kissed Her” by the Beach Boys for their first dance, in the main lobby of the Lounsbury House. It was also awesome to see everyone dancing.
Then, during dinner, Katarina’s mum and mum’s cousin from Finland led all the guests to boldly sing “Helan Går”, a traditional Swedish drinking song that is common over dinners in Finland.
Hope you enjoyed these sneak peeks. For any of you wedding guests that have any cell phone pics at the wedding, if I’m in any of your shots, please post them on Instagram or Facebook with hashtag #trailofling ! Thanks a million for sharing the love <3
