Oct 10, 20225 min read

A'ndrea and Keegan's Wedding at Samuel Cedars

"For better or worse, for the rest of my life"

The day before Keegan and A’ndrea’s wedding at Samuel Cedars, it was the first official day of fall. Temperatures had plummeted. Wind rushed in. The skies were gray. A chill was in the air. A deep contrast to the hot, sunny, 90 degree summer weather we were used to. The next day, the day of the wedding, the weather could not have been more perfect. The sun shone brightly. Clouds moving in and out. By mid day, temperatures were warm, but not hot. Honestly, you could not have picked a more perfect day for an outdoor wedding.

The bridal suite was full of energy. And people. 😉 When you walked in. The temperature rose 15 degrees. It was hot. Even for me! If you know me at all, I am ALWAYS freezing 😂. But that didn’t stop the joy I could feel from people in the room. I spotted A’ndrea and she was all smiles! I gave her a big congratulations on her big day and decided to photograph her dress first. Her dress was a strapless sparkly ball gown with lace embellishments. GORGEOUS!!! Next I gathered her shoes (white lace converse), the rings, her flowers, vow books, and a necklace that her grandmother gifted her on her wedding day. As I was setting the rings on the flowers, Andrea's makeup artist, Andie, popped her head out the door and let me know that she was ready for the final touches of makeup! I hopped up, told Alex to guard the items 😁, and went to take a photos of A’ndrea. Pulling up a chair next to a window, Andie began to put on a lip color. A beautiful deep bold lip to match A’ndrea’s flowers. A’ndrea later told me that Andie had mentioned most brides opt for more neutral lips (I might be guilty of that on my own wedding 😂), and she was excited to do something different! It looked so good!! After snapping a few photos, I headed back outside to finish up the details.

When I headed back into the bridal suite, everything had been moved. There were two folding privacy screens up. One near the door and near the mirror. A’ndrea was officially in her gown which meant it was time to do some getting ready portraits, bridal pictures, and then pictures with her bridesmaids! We teamed up to move all the floor clutter and privacy screens out of the way. Not before one of them may have begun to topple over. I think it hit one of the flower toes which caused a minor crisis for a few minutes. But she was alright and we pushed through! I positioned A'ndrea next to a window and Emily, one of her bridesmaids, headed over to help her zip up her gown. Next, A’ndrea’s mom came over to put the final touches on her veil. A’ndrea was a stunning bride!! Before taking A’ndrea outside, I went to tell Keegan to stay hidden for a while. Once I delivered the message, I brought A’ndrea outside. Her bridesmaids stood patiently behind me as Alex and I took portraits of A’ndrea. They were such troopers!! After a few portraits, we brought them in for a group photo. We finished up a tad early. I sent A’ndrea back to the bridal suite.

It was now Keegan’s turn. The sun had now reached a position that made photographing quite challenging. Keegan, I’m so sorry I moved you to like 4 different locations before settling on the official spot 😂. You will have quite a variety of pictures! After Keegan’s pictures, we brought out the groomsmen to do group photos. The schedule could not have been following a more perfect timeline. We got done almost 30 minutes before the ceremony. This gave me plenty of time to head to the reception area to photograph the cake and heart cookies.

The ceremony was about to begin. A’ndrea and Keegan had forewarned me that they were going to have something special happen during their processional. As the music started, A typical processional began. The wedding party walked down the aisle first. Next came the ring bearer and a flower man. Suddenly, the romantic music stopped. A new song came on. “ I'm Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred. The flower man ripped off his pants (don’t worry, he was still dressed 😂) and below were leggings and a red tutu. Off came the jacket to reveal a sleeveless shirt. Dancing up and down the aisle. He threw rose petals. Laughter, and possibly tears from laughing so hard, erupted from the guests. Cell phones raised in the air to capture the event on recording. The event ended with the flower man jogging out of sight. As the laughter ended, it was time for A’ndrea to make her appearance. The mood shifted as she made her entrance. The seriousness of the moment returned. As A’ndrea joined Keegan on the altar, they shared their vows and participated in a sand ceremony. The ceremony ended with their kiss. As they turned to face their guests, bubbles started to fill the air. Joyful celebratory music began to play and their excitement could not be contained. Giant smiles on their faces as they danced their way back down the aisle.

After the ceremony, A’ndrea and Keegan took time to celebrate with friends and family. Hugs were exchanged as guests gave their congratulations. Eventually, we gathered everyone together to take family portraits. Having only to postpone a couple for later due to one missing sibling 😂. Next we took wedding party photos. We headed back to the ceremony space and took a variety of combinations and set-ups. Photos got done ahead of schedule and the wedding party was free to hang out for a while!!! That is always a wedding day win!! Knowing I was going to get more portraits of Keegan and A’ndrea later, we took this time to take several just married portraits and then they were free to prepare for their grand entrance into the reception.

The wedding party was introduced followed by the bride and groom's grand entrances. They all sat at the head table and were immediately released for dinner. A’ndrea joked that they had to “go right back to where they were” a second ago 😂. That’s a common occurrence at weddings. Dinner consisted of salad, green brands, roasted red potatoes, chicken, and rolls. Throughout dinner, speeches were given. After dinner came A’ndrea and Keegan’s first dance to “Won’t look back” by Josh Groban. Followed by the father-daughter and mother-son dances. Around 6:30 p.m., I stole them to head outside to take photos at sunset (a must have for all couples if the weather on your wedding is good!!!) ❤️ We took photos at their altar and the field in front of the venue. As we ran out of light, we headed back inside for so much DANCING!! 😁 They danced to the Cha-Cha Slide, the Hokey Pokey, Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy, Cupid Shuffle, and the YMCA, just to name a few. Guests danced so much they looked exhausted 🤣. Something special that occurred during this reception were several live vocal performances from a variety of family members. Even one of the flower girls grabbed the microphone to sing.

The night ended with a cake cutting, bouquet toss, and garter toss. I took them outside for one final night shot to commemorate the day. It truly was one that will be in their memory forever, A’ndrea and Keegan, thank you for giving Alex and I the opportunity to capture these memories. We had the best time and we wish you both so much love and happiness!! I hope our paths continue to cross in the future. ❤️❤️❤️