Chris & Kirsten's Wedding in Lebanon, OR
Woohoo! My first NEW wedding post on my NEW website! So exciting! Earlier this month, I had the honor of photographing Chris & Kirsten's wedding. When Sara and I arrived at Chris' parent's home, the creative energy was immediately ignited. There were over 20 acres of amazing areas to choose from. I could probably take photos there for a week and still not find all the different ways I could creatively photograph the property and people there! Since it's May, everything was a lush green color, flowers were blooming and, incredibly, there was NO rain (which is always a gamble in May in Oregon!).
We began our morning with a fantastic cup of coffee with the family before heading outside to map out the morning and get some detail shots. Shortly thereafter, Kirsten's parents arrived and she began getting ready in the guest house on the property. Chris arrived shortly after, and we made sure he was inside the main house. After she was ready, she did a first look with her dad, Eric. When a father see his only daughter all ready to get married, it makes for quite an emotional moment! (You'll have to wait for the rest of the photos to see it, though!)
One of my favorite few moments of the whole day while shooting a wedding is when the couple agrees to a first look. When the groom finally gets to see his bride-to-be in the dress she has carefully picked out, with all of the special details, it makes for some amazing photographs and the couples always love having those few moments together in advance -- often it helps calm the nerves and helps them prepare for the moments ahead.
We took a few photos of Kirsten alone while we waited for the guys to finish getting ready so we could do the bride and groom's first look followed by the group photos. We snuck in a couple of bridesmaids photos too, and this boot shot is one of my favorites! The charms on the boots were a gift from Kirsten to her bridesmaids. A great gift idea!
We spent some time getting more shots of the couple, doing bridal party photos, riding dirt bikes and motorcycles (see photos below) and soon we were off to the wedding itself!
The ceremony and reception were held at their home church, Crowfoot Baptist. Live instruments, including the harp, were played as the bridal party entered, and a special song was shared by Chris' mom and a family friend. After the pastor pronounced them man and wife, we headed to the reception where there was a father/daughter dance, mother/son dance and the bride and groom's first dance (pictured). The "boot game," cutting of the cake, and speeches rounded off the day before the bride and groom exited. We headed to a nearby park for just a few more photos to finish out the day.
Chris and Kirsten, thank you for letting Sara and me be a part of your special day. I hope you'll cherish these many memories (and the others still yet to come!).
