Mara + Ryan’s wedding day was such a joy to be part of!   For starters, they are genuinely two of the kindest people you’ll ever meet, and it’s easy to see where that comes from because their friends and family were all SO welcoming and so fun to be around!  Even the threat of rain (and quite a bit of wind!) throughout the day didn’t dampen the mood of this bridal party or Mara + Ryan’s families.  They were all just happy to be there, happy to be celebrating the union of these two people they all adore.

Mara shared the sweetest moments (and more than a few laughs) with her mom and sisters in Doe Creek Farm’s gorgeous bridal suite, before heading out to see Ryan for their First Look!  These two are naturals in front of the camera together, and we got SO. MANY. gorgeous bride + groom and bridal party portraits, it was almost impossible to narrow down favorites for the blog (aka the best problem a photographer can have!).  Their ceremony was short + sweet and the rain held off so that they could say their vows in front of Doe Creek’s orchards and their gorgeous mountain views, and then it was time to start the party!  From formal dances to dinner + toasts, and on through their other reception events, it was so evident that these two (and their friends and family) are nothing but genuine.  They laughed at the stories that were told during toasts, took time to honor Ryan’s dad because it was also his birthday that day, and made sure the dance floor was full when the time came to cut loose.  It really was a beautiful day, not just because there was a gorgeous mountain backdrop and all kinds of pretty details – but because of the people this day was for, and the people who were there to celebrate it with them.

I am SO excited to share my faves from Mara + Ryan’s wedding day with y’all!

GAH!  I’m obsessed with this next frame of Mara’s sister tying her sash onto her dress.  New fave dress-tying shot!

All three of Mara’s sisters helped her put the finishing touches on her bridal look and I love the images from this part of the day!

So. many. fave bridal portraits of Mara!!!

Mara’s dress was p-e-r-f-e-c-t for twirling, so you better believe we twirled every chance we got throughout the day!!

It was pretty windy during this part of the day, but I’m not going to lie … I think it only added to the romantic feel of these First Look photos and bride + groom portraits!

The moment Ryan saw his lovely bride for the first time that day!

We had SO many pretty locations for bride + groom portraits!  Under the tree where they shared their First Look, out in the Doe Creek Farm orchards (GAH!  faves!), and later on we were even able to grab some bride + groom portraits in the exact spot where these two said their vows!

This was my second time shooting at Doe Creek and the orchards were showing off for me again!  SO pretty!

These two were such good sports for me – twirling and twirling and twirling some more because I could. not. get. enough of these two in those orchards!  (and because First Looks mean we get extra bride + groom portrait time and you better believe I do my best make the most of it!!)

I love the way the wind picked up the layers in Mara’s dress when she twirled!

Again with the wind in this black + white shot of Mara … I can’t even!

Loved Carissa’s angle of one of the twirls!

I absolutely LOVE both of these next frames!

I’m a little bit obsessed with the colors Mara + Ryan chose for their bridal party.  SO soft + romantic!

LOVE this shot of Mara and her best girls!!!

Love this shot of Ryan and his guys!  They were such good sports for me!

Mara’s best friend’s little girls were her flower girls – how cute are these two??

Ceremony time!!  I love Doe Creek’s ceremony site!

Aaaand because we were running ahead of schedule (and because the heavy cloud cover wasn’t going to allow for an actual sunset that day), we took another little set of bride + groom portraits at the ceremony site.  Lighting conditions aren’t always ideal at the actual ceremony site, but when they are, I LOVE getting more bride + groom portraits in the exact spot where they became husband + wife!  🙂

It’s so hard to highlight any of these images over the others because they are ALL faves of mine, but I do especially love this next one on the left!  These two are just the sweetest together.

Then it was time to join their party!

I love how bright Doe Creek’s reception space is!  (And also those gold chiavari chairs, y’all.)

I don’t always share bouquet toss shots, but when the bride gives 100% when the DJ plays Beyonce’s “Single Ladies,” that’s most likely going to make it onto the blog … and Mara killed it.

Also, this reaction by the girl who caught the bouquet – had to go on the blog, am I right??

Mara, Ryan, thank you for inviting me to be part of this season of life with you – it has been so fun, and I can’t tell you what a joy it was to be there with you on your wedding day!!!

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Thank you to the incredible team of vendors who shared their time + talents with us on Mara + Ryan’s wedding day!!

venue | Doe Creek Farm

florals | Flower Moxie

hair | Brides by E

makeup | Makeup by Ravishing

bridal shop | Loveliest Bridal

bridesmaid gowns | Azazie

groom + groomsmen suits | Men’s Wearhouse

catering | The Element Catering

And a special thank you to Carissa Divant for second shooting with me!