Mr. and Mrs. James | Les Bourgeois Wedding | Rocheport, Missouri

A blind date at Patty Malone’s turned into happily ever after for Jessi and Ryan. As fate would have it, that first date led to forever. One of the greatest joys of my life is being a wedding photographer. Having the opportunity to be alongside of couples on their wedding day to capture sweet moments and celebrate their love is such an incredible honor. Jessi and Ryan’s wedding day is one wedding day we won’t soon forget! Intimate weddings with the focus on celebrating two people in love are our favorite weddings to capture. We love when the day is centered on what is important, getting married to your best friend and other half. Ryan and Jessi’s day was just that! They shared an intimate wedding with close family and friends who were just as excited for the couple to be getting married as Jessi and Ryan were.

They were blessed with a beautiful day at the end of June for their wedding. Throughout the week, we were a bit worried about the possibility of rain. Fast forward to the wedding day and we were drenched in beautiful sunshine all day! Their wedding day was probably one of the smoothest wedding days we have ever had the pleasure of photographing. Everything went as planned and the schedule stayed on track the entire day. When you are a wedding photographer, you know this isn’t always the case.

We began our day at the Broadway Hotel in Columbia. Jessi had so many gorgeous details waiting for us when we entered the room. All of her details really helped to set the tone for the wedding day. We knew when our day started out so well, it was only going to get better as the day went on! It definitely did. All of our expectations for the day were surpassed. When Jessi stepped into her gorgeous gown from Belle Mariee’s, her mom, sister, brother, and bridesmaids were overcome with joy! They were all so excited for Jessi and it was such a sweet moment to witness. Next, they brought Jessi’s dad Roger in for a first look with his daughter. They shared such an emotional first look; it was one I don’t think we will ever forget. He was one proud dad seeing his little girl as a bride.

We traveled to the home of a groomsman to capture portraits of Ryan getting ready. Shawn’s home is beautifully decorated, not a detail is left unnoticed. His fiancé has created such a warm and cozy home, and we were so thrilled to capture Ryan getting ready in such a beautiful space. Ryan has such a great group of guys in his life! We couldn’t leave the house without snapping a few pictures of Ryan with his motorcycle. He even took a joy ride with his best man Nick on the Harley. This was one of the greatest things we have ever witnessed. It’s obvious these two share a special bond.

After our time with the guys, we traveled to Les Bourgeois for the wedding ceremony and reception. This venue is amazing. Ryan and his groomsmen all became very emotional as Jessi’s father escorted her down the aisle. I don’t think we have ever seen a group of guys be so happy for their buddy to be getting married. It was hard not to tear up in that moment. Jessi made on beautiful bride! Jessi and Ryan shared their vows on a bluff top overlooking the Missouri River. They couldn’t have picked a more perfect spot to become Mr. and Mrs.

As soon as they were pronounced husband and wife, Ryan and Jessi shared a romantic kiss and walked back down the aisle the happiest we have ever seen them! We captured sweet moments of the new Mr. and Mrs. in the vineyards scattered all across the venue property. These two are seriously the sweetest! I don’t know how we continue to get so lucky with all of our wedding couples.

The reception space was absolutely stunning! We couldn’t get enough of all the beautiful arrangements created by Sugarberry Blooms. They really transformed the event space with all of the timeless and elegant florals that sat on each table. Once the reception started, Jessi’s sister and Ryan’s best man delivered heartfelt toasts to the happy couple after dinner. Those toasts, were some of the most sentimental toasts we have ever heard. This couple is so, so loved! Jessi and Ryan invited their friends and family to dance as they shared their first dance as husband and wife. After the first dance, the party really got started and guests began to let loose. We had the pleasure of witnessing some great dance moves throughout the night.

We want to wish Jessi and Ryan the absolute best as they begin their new journey together as husband and wife. Enjoy some of our favorites from their gorgeous June wedding day!