Kimberly and Bradley were married on the 2nd of January 2010, a great day to get married because it allows guests to party it up on the 31st, sleep in on the 1st, and then party again at your wedding! This bride and groom definitely worked hard to create a personal and memorable wedding day that guests could share in and enjoy. Both the DJ and I were really impressed by how much dancing we saw at their afternoon reception!
Kimberly got dressed at her mother’s house, in her mother’s room which was filled with quilts made by the women in her family. She wore her mother’s dress, put her stockings and veil on at her great-grandmother’s vanity, and was wearing an engagement ring she picked out from her grandfather’s jewelry collection. So much history, and so many wonderful personal touches!
She slipped into this gorgeous silky blue robe to put on her makeup and accessories. I love how luxurious it looks in the photos.
It’s been awhile since I’ve shared a Basic/Fine Art edit example in a post.
The Basic Edit:
And the Fine Art version:
Her mom did up the buttons on the back of the dress with a bobby pin. Has anyone ever seen this technique used before? I’ve only seen people use a crochet hook, but bobby pins are so much more practical because they are always readily available (at least when there is a woman around).
Primping in front of her great grandmother’s vanity.
Off to the church!
They were married at St. Martha Catholic Church in Kingwood, TX.
Completely calm and focused on her love at the end of the aisle. Looking at this picture I can tell this this was right, you know?
They had an interfaith ceremony as she is Catholic and he is LDS. Both religious leaders did a wonderful job personalizing the ceremony to really fit them as a couple.
The attendants really didn’t stand for that long, but the super cute flower girl kept striking this “oh my aching back” pose.
THAT SHOT!
By the time we got organized and took all of the group formal portraits it was already time to head over to the reception, held at Kingwood Country Club in Kingwood, TX. Good thing I worked to grab some shots of these two cuddling and canoodling in between takes.
As the photographer I like long first dances because they give me a chance to play around a bit and try to come up with something unique. The shiny black dance floor they had set up was great for catching reflections.
These two didn’t just do a first dance, they did a choreographed routine filled with spins and swirls and the sweetest hug to finish. It fit in so well with their personal style.
Her dad couldn’t get the printer to work that morning so he read his welcome speech off of his laptop. Everyone got a kick out of it!
In the bottom center you can see their Quaker Marriage Certificate, a tradition that I had only heard about previously. You can read more about what this certificate means on Weddingbee. I think it’s a wonderful way to revamp the “sign in book” that used to be really common at weddings. After the wedding is over you can frame it and hang it in your home as artwork!
They set out papers for “wishes and advice” and I giggled when I saw what the flower girl had written to them:
Brad, Kimberly. I hope you have a lov-a-bul time!!
I wonder if all of the guests were thinking the same thing I did. That the groom on this cake topper really looks like Brad!
One of the best cake cutting moments I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing so far came when these two got a little aggressive with their slicing and jiggled the topper so hard it slid off the cake! Kimberly caught it in mid-air, provoking some applause from the audience.
That will be a fun memory to relive when they unwrap their frozen top tier a year from now and see the skid marks from where it slid off.
Toward the end of the reception they played something called the Shoe Game. The bride and the groom sit back to back and trade shoes with each other so she has one of his and he has one of hers. The DJ begins asking questions such as “Who is the better kisser?” and they are supposed to hold up the correct shoe to indicate who they thought best fit the description. It’s fun to watch because the bride and groom aren’t allowed to peek at each other and see what their spouse has said.
The guests loved it because sometimes they agreed…
and sometimes they didn’t. 
See what I mean about their guests rocking the dance floor at 2:00 in the afternoon?
All too soon it was time for Kimberly to change into her going-away outfit (a tradition I love and kind of wish I had done myself!)
While she was changing I grabbed this frame of brother (the groom if you can’t tell) and sister dancing. So sweet!
They got out the door and the father of the groom came barreling after them. What could he possibly need to delay them for?
They didn’t have the keys to the getaway car.
Kimberly and Bradley, thank you so much for allowing me to share in your very personalized day. I loved discovering all of the sweet touches you had planned and executed, and I heard several guests say it was a wonderful time. I hope that this marriage means the end of long distance living for the two of you, as love as sweet and true as yours deserves to be shared in person on a daily basis.
Best,
Jenna
