Everton {Wedding}

“If at the end of the day, you are married to the one you love, then everything went perfectly.” Unknown Author

Mandy and Jerry were married this past weekend at Goodwood Plantation in Tallahassee, Florida on what started off as a beautiful, bright, sunshiny day. Within 2 hours of their ceremony, we all heard the soft rumble of thunder in the distance which opened up “The Talk” that no bride really wants to have on her wedding day. However, Mandy digested the information and we made a plan to photograph all the formals we could within the next 20 minutes and we just barely made it before the sky opened up…but we made it! As their guests arrived within moments of the rain coming down, they all gathered in the reception space waiting to see where the wedding would be held. A few minutes later, Mandy and Jerry made the rare and amazing decision to get married in the rain.

I’ve never photographed a wedding in the rain before and didn’t know quite what to expect. My glasses were fogging up so much I couldn’t see and I didn’t know if they were going with the long or short version of the ceremony because it was all conditional on how much rain was coming down. Little did I know, I was about to photograph one of the most amazing wedding ceremonies I’ve been witness to and have the pictures to prove it! Despite everything clearly not going to plan, Mandy and Jerry were full of life, humor, smiles, laughter, and tears. Even if I couldn’t hear what they were saying from where I was, I knew that nothing mattered in that moment except that they were exchanging vows and committing their lives to one another. When looking back at the pictures, I realized that the rain really did bring about a sense of honesty to the situation for everyone there but most of all, Mandy and Jerry. Two of my favorite shots are when Mandy and her father rounded the corner of guests who were standing at the end of the aisle with their umbrellas...you can see Jerry grinning ear to ear, forgetting that he was standing in front of so many people, he looked so proud. Then you look at the shot of Mandy who when she first saw Jerry's smile took a huge deep breath. Mandy's expression was exactly how I imagined it would be...overwhelmed in a really amazing way, emotional, and strong.  

After the ceremony, guests laughed at one another dodging puddles as they ran over to the Carriage House for the wedding reception. The guys from Andrew’s Bartending kept everyone entertained with drinks while we quickly finished a few more formal portraits before the party started. As I documented everything from afar I would overhear most of the guests wondering how Mandy still looked perfect despite being in the rain without an umbrella. At one point, I was ducked behind chairs taking pictures of their rings when I overheard a friend of Mandy’s telling guests about how beautiful Mandy was today but that really, Mandy is always beautiful because her spirit is so fun, sweet, kind, and happy. Everyone agreed and began telling their personal stories about how Mandy impacted their lives at one point or another over the years…I hope they’ve told her of the wonderful impact that she has had on their lives, because it was pretty amazing! I can tell you that despite Jerry naturally having a calm and quieter personality that he is always surrounded by his family and friends. Wherever Jerry goes, you can tell the people who are with him are truly having a great time. A great example of how Jerry has a great way about him is that when he and the guys all took individual shots with one another that some were outrageously funny, others were brotherly, and then there were the typical guy pose but that all of them look at Jerry as one of their best friends.

I really cannot thank Mandy and Jerry enough for bringing me in as not only their wedding photographer, but also as a friend. I cannot say enough about them as a couple or as individuals and know they have a life full of wonderful memories ahead of them. Also, I have to say thank you to all of the wedding guests who were so patient and helpful with me as I weaved among you during the ceremony with my incredibly large golf umbrella! You guys rocked!