Memphis Wedding Photographer: Bryan and Jordan’s Children’s Museum Wedding!

HAPPY Monday, y’all! Can y’all believe we are HALF way through October right now? It’s a little sad. Time just needs to slow down for a minute so we can stop and catch our breath before we hit the holidays….eeek. Am I the only one NOT ready for Christmas to get here?! That all being said, I have some great news! I have a gorgeous, brand spanking new wedding to show ya. And I just want to scream it from the rooftops!! Do y’all remember Jordan and Bryan??

I don’t know if you read my last post, but in a nutshell, I came clean about where I’ve been the last couple of years. Why I have been slowing down on weddings, and what’s been going on behind the scenes. It was this past wedding where I realized that I was so stinking happy through the entire day. I laughed. I laughed so hard I cried. And then I cried even more because I got to see true love unfold before my camera. I danced and sang. And I cheered. It was the day I realized, “Hey, this job IS for me. And I’m ready to get back in there.”

And I have Jordan and Bryan to thank for that!

This couple…so laid back, happy, goofy, and sweet to each other. They’re families were awesome! They’re wedding parties were the bomb! They made my job easy!

Anyways, this post is not about me! This post is about Jordan and Bryan’s GORGEOUS wedding day. The weather could not have been more perfect! The flowers, ahhhhh-ma-zing. The shoes! Swoon. The dress. My Lord, that dress. Girls would probably kill people for that dress, Jordan (I may or may not be in that category………).

So, let’s chat a bit about the location and logistics for this one. They decided on a traditional look over a first look. Traditional looks definitely have their pros and cons. One pro being that you can start wedding coverage later and end later, so more time at the reception. Another is obviously the true reaction when you walk down the aisle, something that is so pure and emotional. It’s almost a non-negotiable for a lot of couples, which I totally understand. For more of a discussion on the first look vs the traditional look, check out this link.

That all being said, if you decide on a traditional look, I DEFINITELY recommend hiring on a second shooter. It adds way more angles and options for your bride/groom portraits, and I think it’s WAY worth it.

Their ceremony was at St. John’s Episcopal Church, which was really pretty, but veryyyy dark with strict photo rules during the ceremony. (I recommend having the ceremony as early as you can get away with so you can have the most natural light possible during the ceremony.) Also for this type of ceremony, I recommend keeping note that the ceremony will be about 30-45 minutes depending on the sermon style you go with. Just make sure that ceremony time is factored into sunset for bride/groom portrait time with the traditional look since those photos are taken after the ceremony. I was really happy with our Golden Hour light that we managed to snag right after the ceremony! It was purrrrrrrrrfect. Had it been ten minutes later, we would have missed out on it completely.

The reception was at the Children’s Museum of Memphis at the Carousel. This is a relatively new venue in town, and I loved shooting there! The lighting, oh my goodness. It’s been a while since I’ve shot a wedding with amber up-lights. Oh. My. Gosh. Everyone, drop the blue/green/red/pink lights now. JUST DO AMBER. I am in LOVE WITH IT. So good choice, you two! (Purple is still good, too though….) The actual carousel was a huge hit. Jordan and Bryan made their entrance on the carousel and that was awesome!! My only wish was that I had more time to play around with photographing kids and couples on it, but it was still fun!!

Lastly, for the exit, they decided to do a champagne toast, and that was a blast. It’s a great alternative to the typical sparkler exit, especially if you can get the crowd going!