Intimate Backyard Wedding

Two days before this wedding, the forecast called for 60-80% chance of rain. This sweet couple already had to change their venue due to covid-19, and greatly decrease the amount of guests who would attend. However, this intimate backyard wedding has quickly become one of my favorites because not only did it, NOT rain. It was FULL of so many heartfelt, joyful moments. When Caleb & Kailynn realized their wedding would not be able to proceed as planned, after taking time to come to terms, they chose not to wait to get married. Although this wasn’t the wedding they imagined, it turned out to be everything they needed and more!!

When I arrived at Kailynn’s parents house – y’all… I was amazed!! The backyard where the ceremony would take place looked soooo beautiful!!! A gorgeous alter, so many handmade signs (by the bride herself!), and personalized details made this look much more than simply a “backyard wedding”. The families really went above and beyond to make this ceremony site look and feel, elegant.

Alright y’all, now let me just give a glimpse into how eventful this day was…. There were TONS of special moments before the ceremony that had my SD cards almost FULL ~ no complaints here though!! Just a few of the those moments I had the privilege of capturing before the ceremony included: Brides first look with bridesmaids (did NOT disappoint y’all!!!), Brides first look with her father, “first touch”/prayer for Bride and Groom, all the bridesmaids praying over the bride and all the groomsmen praying over the groom!! With so many prayers spoken over this couple and their marriage it was beyond evident how much they’re genuinely loved by their family and friends.

As if the pre-ceremony moments weren’t touching enough, next came the actual wedding.

The ceremony began by the pastor expressing Kailynn and Caleb’s deep gratitude to everyone in attendance given the current circumstances. For family and friends who were unable to attend, they were still able to “watch” through a live stream. Their ceremony was unique because it included hand written vows to each other, a sand ceremony, and ended with washing each others feet to signify their commitment to always serve one another in their marriage. Y’all there were even moments where I had to hold back my own tears ~ and I am not really the emotional type (not even tears at my own wedding haha)!! So sweet!!

Now the bride also does her own graphic design/hand lettering and made all of the signs for the wedding. When Kailynn and I talked before the wedding she had mentioned that a positive thing to come of all this ‘covid-mess’, she was able to personalize more of their wedding day. The signs at the end of each aisle indicated where each family/couple would sit. They displayed the families last name and wedding date making it a favor to take home afterwards. How cute is that?!?! Everyone LOVED it!!

Once Kailynn and Caleb were officially announced husband and wife their pure excitement was perfect!! They were ecstatic to finally here those words “you are husband and wife” after all the planning, plans changing, and more. Keep that scroll to see their joy 🙂

Now that they’re officially married ~ it was time to have some FUN!!! I just looooved this wedding party and how willing they were to follow along with my antics haha!! No matter what type of photography session I’m doing whether it be family, senior, wedding, etc. – I do enjoy having fun.

Once we were done with wedding party pictures, the bride and groom wanted to go “off-site” to spend some time together away from guests and capture their portraits. This is a GREAT idea for any of you who might be planning your own intimate backyard wedding. Especially if you don’t do a “first look” beforehand, this might be the only time you’ll have together just the two of you.

Next it was time for the reception to officially begin! The father/daughter and mother/son dances were so beautiful and the dinner was amazing (vendors linked below)!!

Although, I think my favorite part of the whole night was when Kailynn and Caleb played the “shoe game”. If you’re not familiar with it, this is where they both have one of each of their shoes. Someone calls out questions about the couple and they each raise a shoe to indicate who is likely to do that. For instance: who is most likely to hog the TV remote?? I personally would raise my shoe because Kyle (my husband) can’t hardly watch a show without falling asleep HAHA!!

At the end of the night, after all the fun, Kailynn and Caleb made their bubble filled grand exit while guests cheered with excitement!!

Given the circumstances, this couple had every right to be bitter about all the obstacles thrown their way. Yet, despite it all, they showed such grace. Both Kailynn and Caleb remained optimistic and thankful for all the many blessing the day brought because they knew that THIS was exactly what God intended for their wedding day.

Kailynn and Caleb, thank you both so much for allowing me the privilege of capturing this day for you. It was my pleasure to serve you both!! I hope and pray your marriage if full of love, joy, laughter, and growth.

I hope you enjoyed scrolling through to get just a *glimpse* into how beautiful their wedding day truly was. Thank y’all so much for checking out this intimate backyard wedding!! If you’re a couple trying to plan out a wedding in the midst of everything going on and would like to ask questions, I’d love to help! Feel free to contact me, so I can hear about your unique story.

All my best,

Emily 🙂

Wedding Vendors

Second Shooter: Kristi Phillips Photography

DJ: Atlantic Digital Entertainment

Catering: Creative Catering of Virginia

Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal

Bridesmaid Dresses: Amazon (Alfabridal)

Bride’s Ring: Finks Jewelry

Groom’s suit: Men’s Warehouse

Cookies: Rookie’s

Invitation Suite: by the BRIDE at KreativeKDesign