Wedding: Lynn and Jonathan BBQ

Lynn and Jonathan already had a photographer for their wedding day, the absolutely fabulous Heather Essian. But Lynn and Jonathan weren’t having just any old wedding, they were having a wedding weekend extravaganza, and they invited me to photograph some of the things Heather wouldn’t be present at.

When Lynn contacted me about photographing some of the events of her wedding weekend, I thought I would be photographed a relatively normal BBQ and a tea ceremony. Oh how wrong I was! There wasn’t anything normal about these events. The BBQ was an extravaganza, the tea ceremony a gathering overflowing with love, and I was even able to photograph a Catholic marriage ceremony as well (how lucky to finally have a ceremony in my portfolio!).

I was in love with Lynn and Jon from the moment I met them, and you will be too after you see these photos. It could have been the amazing details at all of their events, or their lovely families, but I think it was their smiles, and their tender affection toward each other.

When you pull up to a house like this one (historic, according to Lynn), have your door opened by the valet, hand over the keys, and walk under a giant tree strung with twinkle lights you know it’s going to be a night to remember. The owners of this house (the party hosts) have a very special place in Lynn’s life. When Lynn’s parents moved to the United States they lost their dental licenses, forcing them to essentially start over from scratch. They started working as housekeeper and gardener for the family living in this home (an opthamalagist and teacher/politician) and a special bond was formed between the two families. They even helped Lynn’s parents earn their licenses again!

I showed up to photograph the  people and the food, but I ended up photographing all of the fabulous details as well. I snuck upstairs for a moment and found the wall on the right. Mrs. Ehrhardt, the party hostess, was a Texas representative for a long time as well as a Dallas County Judge.

The BBQ hostess had different types of brides and grooms scattered all throughout the property.

I adored these buttons! I’ve heard of couples using them at wedding events, but I’ve never realized how effective they can be in bringing diverse groups of acquaintances together. I frequently heard guests exclaiming to each other “Oh, you are a friend of the bride? How do you know her?”

Lynn and Jon sporting their buttons.

I considered myself to be a detail oriented bride, but Lynn took things to an entirely new level (which I loved!). Friends and family recruited to help with different facets of the event were given stickers to help guests know who to talk to if they had questions. Not like guests would have any questions to ask after being presented with the giant poster in the front room featuring a complete run down of every element of the BBQ. It is important for everyone, even the photographer to read these poster. I didn’t and ended up helping myself to some margarita mix instead of the lemonade. Whoops!

I found the hostess and informed her that this was an event my cowboy Grandma would swoon over. I was swooning over those yellow folding chairs. Adorable!

These sparklers will make an appearance again at the bottom of this post. I knew they would provide some fun photos as soon as I saw them!

The place settings at the head table were all Texas themed, and Jon and Lynn had an extra special addition to their settings — bride and groom potholders! I want!

I smiled when I pulled out Lynn’s chair and noticed this little heart cushion. So sweet.

My favorite element of the evening was the western themed photobooth! The booth was set up by Vanity Stand, a collaboration between Kimber (the photographer) and Christina (the stylist). Christina ows a vintage shop and supplies the outfits/decor, and Kimber owns the lights and camera and takes the pictures. You can see the results of the booth on Vanity Stands blog.

The booth was a huge hit with the guests, and they were still macking it up for the camera when I left at the end of the night!

Lynn and Jon were both fantastic hosts, working the crowd and making all of their friends and family feel welcome.

Who puts a giant picture of sausage on their photography blog? Jenna Cole does! I’ve been to Poland, the land of sausage, and this sausage at this Texas BBQ blew all of that Polish sausage right out of the water. It was mouthwatering, and it’s a good thing I waited until it was almost gone to grab a taste, otherwise I would have gone back several times (and no one wants the photographer eating up all the food for the guests!).

Margarita on the left,  lemonade on the right. I should have read the sign in the front room. When I did finally get around to dispensing myself the correct drink, it was the best lemonade EVER.

Guests at the “head table” included all of Lynn and Jon’s closest friends, allowing them to sit down and really relax and enjoy the meal.

This was my first time seriously trying to use my flash, and I still have a lot to learn. I love how this shot turned out though, as I think it conveys the excitement old friends were feeling about being reunited once again for the wedding.

Lynn and Jon with the fabulous party hostess.

As the adults enjoyed the photobooth, the kids broke out the smores and…

SPARKLERS! I could photograph sparklers all night long.

THAT SHOT!

The bride drew me a heart. She drew the heart for me, but the message is for the groom. She loves him.

While Lynn and Jon were in the photobooth some of their guests got together and sent them a message.

Up next in the Lynn and Jonathan wedding series: The Tea Ceremony!