To say I was counting down the days to this Idaho wedding in the Coeur d’Alene/Hayden Lake area is an understatement! Something I loved the most about the process with these two is that Jake & Haley never questioned ONCE the input/advice I would give them! That means SO MUCH to us as vendors and is truly the best thing you can do for them.
It’s normal with travel weddings that I arrive a day early. And my photographic brain began brewing the minute I drove out of the airport with my rental car.
I’m not joking – haha!! I love taking the time to look at all my photo options and let my creativity do its thing. I was mesmerized by these yellow bushes as soon as I left the airport and almost turned around to grab a few for detail photos. That’s why when I saw that the getting ready location had a whole field of them, I was VERY excited to say the least. I love seeing a vision come to life!
But I’m getting ahead of myself – let’s go back to the day I arrived. Because I arrived a couple days early, I was able to attend their rehearsal and get a feel for the venue before wedding day. I usually never stay after the initial rehearsal portion of the evening because I understand that there is planning and money involved in the meal for everyone and never want to assume or take advantage of that time. But both families were SO kind and literally would not let myself or my second shooter leave without eating. It was the kindest thing ever. And I ended up being so grateful that I did stay, because as you’ll see in the gallery, it ended up being that I noticed something about the sweetheart table area. While I was eating and the sun continued to go down, I realized that the couple’s table was a little outside of where the market lights were initially hung, and therefore the table/the area by them felt a little dark compared to the rest of the tables. And because I care about EVERY aspect of wedding days for my couples, I suggested seeing if the lighting company could provide one more strand that would go across the sweetheart table to better light that area (not just for photography – though yes that was a huge part of it – but also just for the overall quality of the evening – them not sitting in the dark and the guests being able to actually see them). And the family immediately acted on that suggestion and got it done! They never once questioned or didn’t believe what I said, and truly that is just so special to me 🙂
The love Jake & Haley share is indescribable, and the love surrounding them on their wedding day was even more evident – you could genuinely feel it all around them. The weather was a constantly changing factor that day – it started out sunny and beautiful, but as the morning continued into the afternoon, the clouds started rolling in. There was a HUGE thunderstorm right before the first look and it POURED. Naturally, it’s normal to feel a little bit of anxiety when that happens, but because I always include PLENTY of buffer time in the schedule during the pre-ceremony photos, that 10-15 minute rainfall didn’t even put a dent in the timeline. Thankfully, it cleared up just enough so that we could knock out the first look, wedding party and family photos! But then as the ceremony got closer, the rain started to fall again – and right when we were supposed to start, it began to down pour. It was definitely a saddening moment to not be able to watch Jake & Haley say their I do’s with the beautiful Hayden Lake background that we initially planned for, but what was beautiful to see was how everyone, literally EVERYONE, immediately started moving the chairs, decor, floral installs – EVERYTHING – into the nearby barn to make it look as beautiful as possible! And even though the weather may have pushed us inside for the ceremony, it was truly incredible to watch God surround these two with so much love and support. The cheers, yells, claps, and smiles that filled that barn when they were pronounced husband and wife is something I’ll never forget :’)
Once the ceremony finished up, we were able to head back outside and enjoyed the rest of the evening in the beautiful outdoors!
If you take anything from this story – FIRST, know that as long as you two get to promise your vows to each other surrounded by people who love you and care about you, it doesn’t matter WHERE you are – whether outside with a beautiful backdrop, or inside a barn with tractors and flags – IT DOESN’T MATTER! Because YOUR LOVE is the most important part of the day and is what makes the day beautiful, not where you are or the decorations you have or anything else.
And SECOND, stay flexible on wedding days! Weather can do whatever it wants, but both Jake & Haley took it all in stride and understood that no matter what – they were going to have beautiful images 🙂
Okay, I’m going to let these photos speak for themselves now – enjoy this gallery of this wonderful day!
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