A Backyard Murray Wedding

The day started off perfectly. Neil and I arrived at Shelley’s aunt’s house, where the reception was to be held and also where she and her girls were getting ready. Sometimes I’m waiting on hair and makeup to be completed so I always plan to start off photographing bridal details but she and her girls were already ready so there was no delay in our timeline! Once I finished photographing her details in the library, the best lit room in the whole house, I moved right into getting Shelley into her dress while Neil headed to the church where the guys were getting ready. We must have been so involved in our task at hand that we failed to notice the gloomy cloud gathering over us. As we headed outside to begin bridal portraits and Shelley’s portraits with her bridesmaids we were greeted with light rain. They say it’s good luck for it to rain on your wedding day – well, Shelley & Mark now have luck for all days because three shots later that light rain quickly turned into a downpour and we were forced inside. I called to touch base with Neil, who reported that they too just rushed inside after only a few shots of Mark and his groomsmen. To make the most of our time together, although not ideal, I moved Shelley into the well lit library and continued on with her bridal portraits.

Even though the radar was showing this storm to be a quick moving one, I could tell Shelley was getting nervous. The live band they’d hired for the reception wouldn’t set up if the ground is even a little wet. The reception can’t possibly be moved indoors and the tent wasn’t big enough for everyone and everything to fit under. And finally, portraits wouldn’t happen. At that moment I stepped in and laid out the plan for portraits – that, at least I can control! The rain was going to stop but it wasn’t going to stop long enough before the ceremony for us to continue with the original timeline. I reminded her of the two separate portrait times that we’d budgeted for after the ceremony that would allow us to photograph the family and then the wedding party at the very least. Then I said the magic words that I reserve for when a couple starts to fret about the weather – Rain Check Session. I could see the stress lift from her shoulders. It was raining, no, pouring, but her wedding was still going to happen. The rain stopped an hour before the ceremony started, Shelley & Mark said I DO in front of their friends and family, the live band did stay and set up on the completely dry ground under the tent, and we were able to photograph every single portrait that we’d planned to take. Yup, rain on a wedding day sure is lucky!

Let me just bag on Neil for this shot… It took it through the ornate glass of the front door of the church while Shelley and her dad were waiting outside before her entrance. So very proud!