Lesley and Joe are two of the kindest most selfless people you could ever meet! They made things official in front of their closest family and friends on Saturday July 27 at Faith Lutheran Church in Jefferson City Missouri. We were anticipating a wonderful wedding day and we were blessed with just that! We began the day at the High Street Retreat in the downtown area where we met Lesley and her best girl friends. They were all in darling matching floral robes and full of smiles and laughter as the morning hours ticked by. We photographed her gorgeous bridal details as music filled the halls and songs were sung in the historic home. The happiest of smiles were seen all morning and we knew we were in for a great day with Lesley and Joe’s friends and family. To get the day started off, Lesley and her gal pals popped a bottle of champagne. In the cutest bedroom suite, Lesley stepped into her wedding gown with her mom and sister standing by her side. Within a few minutes, all the buttons were snapped into place, jewelry was put in place, and a gorgeous lace veil was added to finish off the look!
In an adjoining room, Lesley’s bridesmaids and candle lighters anxiously waited for the doors to be opened to reveal Lesley in her wedding gown. Immediately, as they saw her for the first time in the beautiful dress, they all exclaimed the happiest of remarks before bring it in for a big group hug. The day was going a smoothly as it possibly could and we were so ready to photograph the first look between Lesley and Joe. We knew he would be blown away at the sight of Lesley. They adorable couple chose to share a first look near the train station in Jefferson City and what a perfect spot it was for the intimate moment. Joe stood in place anticipating the arrival of his bride. Lesley gracefully made her way to Joe and tapped him on the shoulder. He quickly turned around. As soon as Joe saw Lesley, all the could say is “Wow!” The two embraced and swayed back in forth looking at one another eye to eye.
We strolled around the downtown Jefferson City area taking portraits throughout the afternoon and finally met up with their bridal party at the Supreme Court building for the remainder of portraits. We enjoyed our time with such a fun and outgoing bridal party! After a warm afternoon, it was finally time to head to church and get into some much needed air conditioning. Once there, Lesley shared a sweet first look with her dad Greg. It was such an emotional moment as he witnessed Lesley as a bride for the first time. Lesley grasped her dads hand as it was time to make her way down the aisle. Her dad was wheeled down the aisle by her uncle and there was not a dry eye in the house as Lesley made her way to Joe. The two shared in a lovely ceremony and were united in marriage just moments later. As the pastor pronounced them husband and wife, everyone erupted in cheer and applauded the happy couple as the walked hand in hand back up the aisle.
Waiting outside for the new Mr. & Mrs. was a trolley to tote them all around downtown for the evening. We stopped at several locations indulging in ice cream, enjoying shots at Prison Brews, and ending their trolley ride near the station, before heading to the Millbottom to celebrate. Everyone cheered as Lesley and Joe were announced in to the reception. The night was full of meaningful and sentimental toasts. Before the dance got started, Joe made one final toast to the guests thanking them all for pouring into his and Lesley’s life over the years. He said the day wouldn’t be possible without all of their love and support! Lesley and Joe met on the dance floor for an impressive first dance. Joe spun and twirled Lesley around the dance floor as guests admired from afar. Unfortunately, Lesley’s dad wasn’t able to make it to the reception due to being sick, so she was joined on the dance floor with her uncle. It was sweet to see her uncle step up and dance with Lesley for the daddy daughter dance. The remainder of the evening was spent partying with the happy couple. It was a night to remember and one we won’t soon forget!
Lesley and Joe, thank you so much for trusting us to capture your wedding day! Everything came together beautifully and we felt so honored to be documenting the happy occasion! We wish you two the very best as you begin newlywed life together. Enjoy some of our favorite moments from the stunning day! We had such a hard time narrowing down the blog post gallery.
