A wonderful celebration took place last Saturday as Emily and Blake tied the knot in their hometown of Sullivan, Missouri. When Emily first contacted us last year, we knew their day would be nothing short of amazing! The way she and her mom spoke about the plans they had in place for the special day had us over the moon in excitement! They had big ideas for the wedding day, and we were hopeful for an opportunity to document the day! Emily and Blake were planning to host 500-600 guests in her parent’s front yard under a large white tent. Emily talked with us about how her dad would work really hard to create the perfect space to host the large celebration! When we met with Emily and Blake last fall for their engagement session at her parents’ property in Sullivan, they were so excited to show us where everything would take place the following year. We couldn’t wait to see everything come together.
The day finally arrived and we were met with a cooler rainy Saturday. We started the day off with Emily’s bridal details and we knew instantly that the day would be great! Her parent’s home was buzzing with excitement as all of the bridesmaids were getting ready for the day! Hour by hour passed and everything was going according to plan. Before we knew it, it was time to get Emily into her wedding gown. With the help of her mom, Emily was fastened into her gown in no time. She was all smiles as she added her earrings and and looked across the room into the mirror. Her Maid of Honor Katie stood nearby in a door way tearing up the majority of the time was she witnessed Emily becoming a bride right in front of her eyes. To finish off the look, Emily invited Blake’s mom into the room to help put the veil in place. It was an emotional moment as April walked in and saw her future daughter-in-law as a bride!
Now that Emily was in her gown, it was time to share a first look with her bridesmaids. They were each anxiously waiting at the bottom of the staircase anticipating Emily’s arrival. As Emily gracefully made her way down the stairs, everyone gasped in awe and a wave of emotions hit each and every one of the girls. It was a sweet moment to witness. Before she could head to church, Emily had one last special person to share a first look with. Her dad was waiting outside of the front porch to see his little girl as a bride. Emily quickly walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. Her dad turned around and immediately lost it. His eyes filled with tears and he quickly embraced Emily in the warmest of hugs. This was definitely an emotional daddy daughter first look. I was trying very hard to keep it together behind the lens. There is just something so special about these moments on wedding days that tug at your heart strings.
We were off to the church in town where Emily and Blake would soon be married! We thought it was the cutest thing when we noticed one of their family members Facetiming Blake’s grandma from Florida so she could witness the wedding. Emily and Blake shared in a traditional Catholic ceremony with their closest family and friends in attendance. As the officiant announced them husband and wife, the church erupted in cheering and applause as Blake escorted his wife back down the aisle.
The rain had finally subsided and the sun even managed to peak out from behind the clouds every now and then. We followed a party bus to the Reinhold land where we would take the majority of bridal party portraits. We enjoyed the early evening with a fun bridal party who was willing to do anything! They were super easy to work with and we were impressed with just how easy going they all were considering how hot and humid it was. As we were photographing bride and groom portraits with Emily and Blake, it was so adorable to see these two be so giddy with one another. You couldn’t wipe the smiles from their faces for the rest of the night. Both Emily and Blake looked so genuinely happy. Blake even taught us a new term to use when posing. When we asked him to hold hands with Emily, he exclaimed “You want Pancake or Waffle style?!” We all looked at him completely confused, to which he then showed us how to hold hands waffle style and how to hold hands pancake style. He said, “where did you all go to School?” when we told him Blair Oaks, he responded with “Well it shows!” For the rest of the evening, anytime we needed him to hold hands with his wife, we made sure to say waffle style. He thought it was quite comical that we had never heard of these terms. After the wedding we even did some investigating online and realized this was indeed really is a thing!
For the remainder of the evening, we celebrated the new Mr. & Mrs. McDonald under the huge white tent. Funny toasts were made, sentimental ones were had, and even toasts that spent a large amount of time roasting the groom happened. There is one thing that the night was never short of, and that was laughter and smiles. You could tell that fun was being had by all! The Reinhold’s did a tremendous job transforming their front yard into a top notch wedding venue. A lot of thought and care and detail went into planning this day and it definitely did not go unnoticed. This has been one of the most organized outdoor receptions we have ever seen! They ended the night with a BANG! quite literally as an incredible firework display lit up the sky. Emily and Blake stood in the front yard surrounded by all the ones they love in absolute awe of the show! So much love could be felt in this moment. It was one of our all time favorite endings to the night!
Emily and Blake, Congratulations! It has been a joy working with you both. Your wedding day couldn’t have been more perfect and we feel so incredibly honored to have documented this special season for you all! Enjoy some of our favorites from the beautiful day. It was so hard narrowing down the post!
Read Emily and Blake’s Love Story and Proposal Here
Creative Team
Photography: Morgan Lee Photography
Videography: Captured in Frames
Bride’s Hair: Erin McCrary with Studio E Salon
Bride’s Makeup: Marissa Messex from Makeup by Marissa
Bridesmaids Hair: Blades Salon
Bridesmaids Makeup:Dana Schatz, Bella Si Salon & Spa, and Sara Scott
Bridal Gown, Bridesmaid, and Groomsmen Attire: Mimi’s Bridal & Boutique in Sullivan, MO
Florist: Farmgirl Floral and Decor
Event Planner and rentals: Abby Clonts & Jennifer Wright with Wright Party Rental
Band: Midnight Piano Band
Catering: Melissa with the Barn and Grill Restaurant
Cakes: Teresa Lynn Cakes
Rings and wedding bands: L.C. Betz from Columbia, MO
Invitation Suite: Zazzle & Cards and Pockets
Transportation: JED Transportation; Fun Tyme Limousine; Good Times Bus Service; Burger Park Limo
Ceremony: St. Anthony Catholic Church, Sullivan, MO
Reception Venue: Emily’s parent’s family farm. This is where she grew up. Her dad has done so much work to it and designed bars (bar tops were from trees behind the reception location) and designed the grain bin bar with the help of his workers. He owns TRE Electric, LLC. Tim Reinhold Enterprises (on facebook). He hung the outdoor lights too.
