Sara and Nigel are sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows!

Sara and Nigel.  Some of you may recognize this gorgeous couple from their engagement shoot that we did at the end of May.  AND you may remember Sara from her bachelorette party and bridal shower that I was lucky enough to attend this spring.  To all of those events I brought my camera and it was insanely fun.  On Saturday, their wedding was no exception.

Sara told me that the theme for her wedding was “fun and stress free” when some people may have said “black and white with sunflowers.”  I took this shot at 7:30am when Sara returned from her 6am run and was getting ready.

The morning light was extremely beautiful!

I really love these two shots together.  I took the one of Catriona and Sara fixing their hair and Ryan captured this shot of Nigel (in Manual mode with available light, Thank you very much!)  I love Catriona’s curlers and both of their facial expressions.  Nigel looks so “dapper” in those shades.

The compass is a symbol that Sara and Nigel hold dear.  The cardinal directions, NESW are also their initials….Nigel Edwards and Sara Winter.  Bitchin’ cufflinks!

Sara and Nigel are extremely happy together and totally in love. Their wedding began at 11:30 am and this is a photo I grabbed during their “first look” at 9am.  Look at that expression on Nigel’s face!  He got to see her again for the first time during the ceremony at it was just as good when he saw Sara heading his way.

They had a few minutes to themselves during this time to chat and be totally in love.

We (Nigel, Sara, Ryan, and I) took a walk around the golf course for a few more shots.  For this one we did a little bit of trespassing onto an adjacent property.  I think it was worth if for the shade of those trees.  Who knew that the sunlight at 9:30am could be so gorgeous?!?

Incredible!

Right before a visit from two golf carts full of country club guests excited to see the bride and groom.  Sara was stunning in her halter-style gown so of course she could stop traffic.

If you notice Sara’s earring in this next shot, you can see that she was jumping around during this time too!

At 10am we got through the family shots.  Nigel’s sons, Jake and Aaron were not happy with posing for photos….until they got these sweet mini-fans!  So the fans are in all of the shots with the kids.  I love it!

Nigel is Welsh and many of his groomsmen came over from Wales to be with Nigel and Sara for the day.  I learned during Nigel’s speech during the reception that the groomsmen had a lot of problems  ordering the suits for the wedding as Wales participates in the Metric System.  They love him……

Isn’t this the best looking group of bridesmaids you’ve ever seen!?!?!  Ok so, YES, I was a bridesmaid in this wedding–there I am on the far right.  How is that possible, you ask?  I organized the group formal shots, then slid in while Ryan and Nicki snapped away.  I was not in the ceremony because I was busy shooting.  Then later I got to put down my camera and do a little dancing.  It was totally great!  For the bridesmaids dresses, Sara wanted to continue the “fun and stress-free” theme allowing us all to use our own black dress, do our own hair and makeup.  Looks pretty spectacular to me!  The sunflowers are absolutely beautiful too.

Blog readers, you may recognize some of these bridesmaids from other weddings like Jamie and Kelly on the far left and Krissy standing right next to me.  Leigh Ann is also a friend of Sara’s but couldn’t make it to the wedding as she was enjoying her own honeymoon in Cabo.  Sara is a huge fan of mine and a shameless promoter of my photography.  I LOVE her for that and Sara is a huge reason that I am a photographer today!

That is one hot bridal party!

Again, Sara is gorgeous!  Sara has another mantra…… “sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows!”  But all she is thinking about right now is seeing Nigel again.  It doesn’t have to be the wedding for Sara to be this happy when seeing Nigel anytime.

There is more from the ceremony in the slideshow below).   After the ceremony, the girls slipped away before cocktail hour started.  It was time for a circle-high-five.  Awesome!

Their first dance.  The look on both of their faces says it all.  They really were “fun and stress-free” all day and  you could feel that.

Since the wedding was early, all of the little kids were ready to party since it was only 1pm.  The dancing was out of control fun!

Aaron is looking to Aunt Catriona for advice on this dance moves.  Cheryl (mother of the bride) looks awesome in her hot pink dress.

Tom Jones is a Welshman and Nigel is a huge fun. It was awesome to her Tom Jones’ version of “Kiss” by Prince and then the classic “It’s Not Unusual.”  Made for some great group singing.

Bridesmaids dancing….so awesome!

For the last song, there was a little “couples mosh-pit” to surround the newlyweds.

As Sara’s mom said “The final photo says it all. The expression on your face is stunning.”  I couldn’t agree more.  The whole day was beautiful and fun and wonderful, just like Sara and Nigel. 

I was honored to be a part of this wedding, both in the bridal party and as the photographer.  I love you, Sara and Nigel!