Back from a long trip...

...and way too much to blog about!! Jeremy, Graydon and I have been gone for a little over two weeks and man did I take a ton of pictures! I have a bunch of stuff I will be blogging about over the next week but I wanted to start with a wedding that I was NOT the photographer at but a guest. My husband officiated the wedding of a long time friend of his from high school and I just couldn't leave my camera at home. So please keep in mind as you scroll through these that I only stuck to details and candid shots. I did not want to get in the way of the "hired" photographers or step on any toes so I just snuck around and snapped when I had the chance or the other photographers weren't around! So, sorry you won't see any bridal shots or beautiful portraits of the wedding party but I hope you enjoy anyway! The first few are of the rehearsal...that IS the bride but not in her wedding dress.









Since yesterday when I posted this original post I have spoken with this beautiful bride and discovered that her new husband's grandfather was rushed to the emergency room last night after a family dinner. He had extremely low blood pressure and very shallow breath. I am pleased to say he is stable now and doing well. I snapped this picture of the groom's grandfather at the rehearsal the evening before the wedding. He is 95 years old and I remember thinking how well he looked for his age and I could tell he was well loved. We will keep you in our prayers Grandpa Gander!



Now For the wedding day "sampler"!













The reception was BEAUTIFUL! They cleared out and transformed this absolutely gorgeous greenhouse for their grand celebration.









Once the sun set and the moon was up the atmosphere certainly changed! The lighting was fun and beautiful with pink and blue lights everywhere. I chose to photograph with only available light (which means I did not use flash for ANY of the pictures on this post), that way you get a better feel for the ambiance and mood!



First Dance





Parent dances



The bride and groom had a unique feature at their reception. In the main room was the traditional DJ and dance floor but in a smaller secondary room was a cigar lounge complete with a professional cigar roller originally from Cuba who rolled a couple hundred complimentary cigars for the guests while they listened to a live musician...it was definitely the hot spot of the night! The bride and groom even had an opportunity to try their hand at rolling a cigar...that's the picture you see here.



If you would like to see more details and candids from this wedding you can find Defining Grace Photography on facebook...while your there become a fan and leave a comment! (if you haven't already :) ALSO check back because I'll be posting more blogs over the next couple days!!!