Mr. & Mrs. Hughes | Capital Bluffs Event Center | Jefferson City, Missouri Wedding

If you would have told me we would be photographing an August wedding in Missouri with temperatures in the 70s, cloudy skies, misty rain, and a cool breeze, I probably wouldn’t have believed you, but somehow, that is exactly the kind of day Tori and Max were given for their August 1st wedding!

Rain had been lingering in the forecast leading up to their wedding day, and of course we were all keeping a close eye on the radar. Thankfully, the weather ended up cooperating with us almost perfectly. A few sprinkles and a little mist came and went throughout the day, but nothing ever truly dampened our plans or anyone’s spirits!! And honestly, the soft cloudy skies ended up giving us some absolutely beautiful light for portraits!

When I arrived at Capital Bluffs that morning, Tori and all of her girls were upstairs in the bridal suite getting ready. Hair and makeup were well underway, music was playing, and giggles and laughter filled the room as everyone prepared for the day ahead. Tori has such a wonderful group of women surrounding her, and you could immediately feel how excited everyone was for her!
While the girls finished getting ready, I began photographing Tori’s bridal details and all of the beautiful reception details downstairs. You could tell how much thought and work Tori and her family had poured into bringing the reception space to life. Perfectly pressed navy blue tablecloths covered the tables without a wrinkle in sight, while white florals and glowing floating candles softened the space and made everything feel elegant, romantic, and timeless!

And then there were Tori’s bridal details! One of my favorite little details was her custom bridal boots. They included her new initials, TH, along with the date she and Max would officially become husband and wife! I always love photographing those personalized details because they tell such a sweet little piece of the couple’s story. Max and his guys arrived later that morning and began getting ready as well. Before everything really got underway, Tori had a special gift waiting for her groom! Inside was something incredibly sentimental, an Ai recording of Max’s dad’s voice.
Max sat quietly listening to it, taking in such a meaningful gift from his soon to be wife. It was one of those quieter wedding day moments that says so much without needing many words.

Soon it was finally time for Tori to step into her wedding gown! Her mom and sister helped her with all of the finishing touches, and this ended up being one of my absolute favorite parts of the entire day. There were SO many smiles and just as many attempts to hold back tears. Her sister could barely even look at Tori without her eyes immediately filling with tears, which would make everyone else emotional all over again! They would laugh, wipe away tears, try to pull themselves together… and then someone would make eye contact and the waterworks would start again!
It was sweet, genuine, emotional, and exactly what I love about wedding mornings! Once everything was perfectly in place, Tori looked absolutely stunning!!

Before heading outside, she surprised her bridesmaids with a grand reveal! Their faces immediately lit up when they saw their friend standing before them as a bride. Then it was time for another very important reveal, the one with her Dad! As Missouri weather would have it, the wind had decided to make quite the appearance by this point. And I mean WINDY. But Tori was determined to have her first look with her dad outside, so outside we went! Her dad stood waiting for her before turning around to see his baby girl as a bride for the first time. His face immediately filled with the biggest smile before the emotion began to take over. Watching a dad see his daughter as a bride will forever be one of my favorite wedding day moments to photograph! After taking a few portraits with the LePage family, it was finally time for Tori and Max to see one another!

The wind was still putting Tori’s veil through quite the workout, but these two took it completely in stride! Max turned around, immediately smiled at his bride, and told her how pretty she looked.
We moved straight into bride and groom portraits, attempting to battle the wind for a few minutes before deciding it might be smarter to let the building help us out a little! We moved closer to Capital Bluffs, where we found the most gorgeous, towering hydrangea bush. It ended up becoming the perfect backdrop for so many of their portraits. Sometimes wedding days force you to change plans a little, and sometimes those changes lead you straight to something even better!

Next came wedding party portraits. Because the skies remained cloudy, we were able to photograph everyone in an area of Capital Bluffs that isn’t normally possible when the bright sun is shining. Behind Tori, Max, and their closest friends stretched the beautiful bluffs surrounding Missouri’s capital city! These honestly became some of my favorite wedding party photographs I’ve ever taken at Capital Bluffs. The soft skies, rolling landscape, and entire wedding party together looked absolutely beautiful!

From Capital Bluffs, everyone made their way to St. Andrew Catholic Church in Holts Summit, Missouri, where Tori and Max would finally become husband and wife! Family and friends filled the pews as the two were married during a traditional Catholic ceremony. They exchanged vows and rings, shared communion, and stood together at the altar as they officially began their marriage.
And in a little under an hour, they were pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Hughes! The newlyweds practically dashed back up the aisle hand in hand with huge smiles across their faces. They were MARRIED!

After family portraits at the church, we headed to a nearby family friend’s farm for the remainder of wedding party and newlywed portraits. And getting to our portrait location was half the adventure! A large tractor and trailer were waiting for us, and one of the groomsmen drove everyone up the property’s massive hill toward a beautiful grand tree sitting at the top.
Once we arrived, a little misty rain began falling around us. But Tori and Max? Completely unbothered! They laughed, smiled, cuddled up, and took the entire thing in stride. That really sums up these two perfectly! If you’ve ever met Tori, you already know that she is one of those people whose happiness is absolutely contagious! She has the biggest, most genuine smile, and there always seems to be laughter bubbling out of her! You simply cannot be around her without smiling too!! And Max knows exactly how to keep that smile on her face! He keeps her laughing, she keeps him on his toes, and together they have such a sweet, genuine connection.

Once portraits were finished, we ventured back down the hill and made our way to Capital Bluffs, where all of Tori and Max’s guests were eagerly awaiting the newlyweds. As soon as they entered the reception, they cut their wedding cake before settling in for funny and heartfelt toasts and a delicious dinner surrounded by their favorite people! Later in the evening, we stole Tori and Max away one more time for what I will forever call “sunset portraits” even when the sun decides not to make an appearance. We hopped into golf carts and explored the Capital Bluffs property, eventually making our way down near one of the lakes. There may not have been a glowing August sunset waiting for us, but the soft cloudy skies gave everything such a romantic feel.
And honestly, I could have photographed these two forever! They are just so fun! They’re easygoing, playful, affectionate, and so enjoyable to be around that you can’t help but want to keep taking one more photo.

Back inside, Tori and Max shared their first dance together as husband and wife, followed by the traditional parent dances. From there, the dance floor opened and the remainder of the evening was spent dancing, laughing, mingling, and catching up with the people who had come together to celebrate this brand new marriage!

Congratulations, Tori & Max! From the misty August skies to the wind whipping through Tori’s veil, tractor rides up giant hills, contagious laughter, happy tears, and a dance floor filled with their favorite people, this day was beautiful from beginning to end! And more than anything, it was completely Tori and Max. Tori and Max, thank you for allowing me and my team the incredible honor of documenting day one of your marriage! We truly had the best time spending the day alongside the two of you and your wonderful families and friends. You are such a darling pair, and your joy made this wedding an absolute treat to photograph.
I hope you never stop making each other laugh, never lose the genuine happiness that was written all over your faces on this day, and always remember exactly how it felt to stroll back up that church aisle hand in hand as husband and wife for the very first time!
Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Hughes! Here’s to a lifetime of laughter, adventures, and so many beautiful years ahead.