Mr. & Mrs. Mebruer | Loose Creek, Missouri Wedding

Blake and Tony were married on the most beautiful last weekend of April, and truly, I don’t think you could have ordered better weather for a wedding day if you tried! Sunshine, blue skies, and the most perfect temperatures…it was the kind of day wedding photographers dream! It’s the most perfect kind of day couples hope for their entire engagement!

The morning started in Westphalia, Missouri at the Westphalia Inn where Blake and all of her girls spent the morning getting ready together. The room was filled with excitement, laughter, hairspray, makeup brushes, and the prettiest pops of pink details everywhere you looked. Blake had such a beautiful vision for the day, and every little piece reflected her thoughtful personality perfectly! Before Blake stepped into her gown, all of the girls gathered in the master bedroom, wearing matching pale pink pajamas for photos together! Everyone looked absolutely adorable, and the energy in the room was genuinely happy.

Once it was finally time to get dressed, Blake’s mom, Denise, helped her into her gown! The second Blake was fully dressed, the room lit up even more. Denise could not stop smiling at her daughter, and Blake looked so full of excitement and anticipation. You could feel how loved she was in every corner of the room! Meanwhile, Tony and all the guys spent the morning getting ready over at his parents’ home in Linn, Missouri.

Once Blake was ready, the day became full of one emotional moment after another. She first invited her two sisters in for a special first look where they surprised her with a meaningful gift. Shortly after, Blake shared one of the sweetest first looks I’ve ever witnessed with Tony’s mom! The second she walked into the room and saw Blake standing there as a bride, she immediately burst into tears. She couldn’t stop crying as she hugged Blake tightly, and you could instantly tell the two of them share an incredibly special relationship. Moments like that always get me.
Afterward, Blake shared another emotional first look with one of her grandmas. Her grandma’s expression when she opened her eyes and saw Blake for the first time was absolutely priceless.

Downstairs, the bridesmaids waited at the bottom of the staircase for Blake to make her grand appearance. The second she walked down the stairs, everyone erupted with excitement seeing her fully dressed and glowing from head to toe! Once everyone was ready, we headed to Rich Fountain where we began bridal party portraits outside of the priest’s house before the ceremony. Blake’s floral palette was one of my favorites ever!! It was bright and colorful, with luxurious blooms. It paired perfectly with bubblegum pink bridesmaid dresses. Between the sunshine, the florals, and Blake herself looking stunning, everything felt straight out of a movie!

The girls laughed, giggled, and hyped Blake up nonstop during portraits while the guys finished their own photos back at Tony’s parents’ property. Before the ceremony began, Blake shared another emotional set of first looks with two very important men in her life!! Her dad and Tony’s dad. Both of them turned around with huge smiles on their faces, completely overwhelmed seeing Blake in her gown. One of my favorite parts was that Blake had thoughtful gifts prepared for each of them, she had pocket squares made from lace from their wives’ wedding dresses. It was such a meaningful and intentional detail that perfectly reflected who Blake is as a person!! She is genuinely one of the most thoughtful, caring, and intentional brides I’ve ever worked with. You can feel it in every detail she plans and every person she loves!

She also shared another quick first look with a grandma outside before it was finally time for the ceremony.
Blake and Tony were married during a traditional Catholic mass ceremony in Rich Fountain, and the second Blake started walking down the aisle, Tony completely lost it emotionally. His brother smiled over at him while Tony quietly said, “Ooh wee,” through tears before pulling a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his eyes. Honestly, it was one of my favorite groom reactions I’ve seen in a long time because it felt so genuine and unfiltered. You could physically see how overwhelmed he was seeing Blake walk toward him!

Within the hour, the two of them were officially husband and wife! After family portraits, we headed off for one of the most touching parts of the entire day. Since Blake’s grandma was unable to attend the wedding because of dementia, Blake wanted to intentionally include her in the day by bringing her a bouquet of flowers herself. Blake and Tony drove over in Tony’s Dad’s incredibly cool vintage blue 1970s Dodge car and surprised her at her home in Freeburg. This moment absolutely wrecked me behind the camera. Watching Blake hand her grandma flowers, hug her, smile with her, and carve out space for her in the middle of such a busy wedding day said so much about Blake’s heart! It was one of those moments that reminds you weddings are about so much more than pretty details. Her grandma was the sweetest woman, and everyone just soaked in the significance of the moment together!

As they were leaving, the vintage car decided not to start, so everyone had a quick little adventure jumping the battery before we could finally continue on our way. Honestly, it ended up becoming one of those funny little wedding day memories everyone will laugh about forever! Once the car was back up and running, we headed to Tony’s parents’ farm where the bridal party all climbed onto a cattle trailer to ride out to a scenic overlook on the property for portraits. We spent the evening taking bridal party photos and bride and groom portraits overlooking the rolling countryside while the most perfect spring weather continued showing off for us.
Blake and Tony are such an easy couple to photograph because their connection is effortless. The way they look at each other, laugh together, and naturally settle into one another makes documenting them feel incredibly easy! My only struggle during portraits? The amount of ticks crawling up my dress. If you know me, you know exactly why that was not my favorite part of the day.

After portraits, everyone headed to Loose Creek for the reception where Blake’s intentionality once again showed up in every single detail. One of Blake’s friends helped create a gorgeous king’s table down the center of the reception space overflowing with colorful florals and candles. Guests were also greeted by one of the most unique wedding displays I’ve ever seen in ten years of photographing weddings, a giant bubblegum pink gallery wall featuring over 100 wedding photos of couples important to Blake and Tony throughout their lives. Family members, friends, marriages before theirs, all the love stories that came before their own. It was one of the most meaningful and creative displays I’ve ever seen.

Blake also surprised both moms by displaying their wedding dresses on mannequins at the reception. Beside them were replica wedding cakes inspired by both sets of parents’ original wedding cakes, complete with framed photos of their parents cutting the cake on their own wedding days. Centered between those cakes sat Blake and Tony’s cake. Again, every detail felt so thoughtful, and deeply rooted in family! But perhaps the biggest surprise of the entire day was waiting for Tony at the reception entrance. Tony had always dreamed of having a live band at his wedding, but Blake had convinced him they were only having a DJ. As they entered the reception space, Blake pointed toward the stage while Tony looked around confused for a second before realizing there was actually a live band announcing them in!! The look on his face was absolutely priceless once it clicked. Total shock, excitement, and happiness all at once.

The evening continued with cake cutting, a prayer before dinner, hilarious speeches from Blake’s sisters and Tony’s brother, and one of the funniest toast reactions I’ve seen in a long time. At one point, Tony’s brother even pulled out an old note Tony had written Blake years ago, and the entire room was rolling in laughter! Later in the evening, we snuck Blake and Tony outside for sunset portraits, though the sunset itself decided not to cooperate. Even without the sun, the two of them wandered through the field laughing together while we captured a few final quiet moments before heading back inside.

Under twinkle lights and chandeliers, Blake and Tony shared their first dance together as husband and wife, and it was impossible not to notice the way Tony constantly kissed Blake’s forehead and temple when he thought no one was watching! The love between these two feels incredibly genuine. After parent dances, the live band kicked the dance floor into full swing, and the rest of the night was spent celebrating exactly the way a wedding day should be with dancing and singing your heart out!

As the night began winding down and the dance floor stayed packed with guests celebrating the newlyweds, Blake and Tony had one final surprise waiting for them at the end of the evening.
Throughout the entire wedding day, a live painter had quietly been working away capturing one of the most meaningful moments from their day. She first began painting during the ceremony inside the church, carefully creating the beautiful church interior before later adding Blake and Tony sharing their first kiss as husband and wife! And let me just say… this was truly one of the best live painters I’ve ever seen.

When it was finally time for Blake and Tony to see the finished painting for the very first time, they were absolutely blown away! The amount of detail, emotion, and beauty captured on the canvas was unreal. Watching the two of them take in something that would forever preserve such a sacred moment from their wedding day felt like the perfect ending to an already incredible celebration!

Blake and Tony, thank you for trusting me to document your wedding day! Working with you two was a dream! Your day is truly one I’ll never forget!