Carrie and Jonathan's Wedding at Stonegate Glass Chapel

A Spring Wedding in the Branson Mountains

Skies were blue. The sun was shining. Rain had moved out of the area. Since the start of spring, Stonegate had gone from a forest of barren trees to being enveloped by a lush green canopy of leaves. While technically we were still in spring, nature knew that warm days were upon us. Summer had unofficially arrived. Carrie and Jonathan are two of the kindest people. They were truly grateful for each and every person in their lives that helped make this day special. They are the types of individuals when the moment you step into their presence, you feel calm. I would photograph their wedding 1000 times over ❤️.

When Carrie arrived, she was welcomed with a crowd of family and friends sharing their congratulations! I tell you what, she had the biggest and most supportive fan crowd. First and foremost, I do not think there was a second of the day that was not captured or recorded. Each and every moment was precious and to be cherished ❤️. Shortly after Carrie arrived, her dress made its appearance. Friends, this dress was GORGEOUS!!!! A ballgown covered in lace and sparkers with a train that wedding dreams are made of. Shoutout to my husband for capturing Carrie's walk down the aisle featuring this gorgeous train. 😍 I think it's one of my favorites of the day 🙌.

I left Carrie to spend some time with Jonathan and his best man Jason. Their first task was to pin their boutonniere's on. Readers, boutonnière's are tricky. Pinning them on without the needle showing AND making sure it's secure is harder than it looks. Jonathan and Jason's boutonniere's were both large roses. They were heavier than your typical boutonnière. It took both Jason and I tag teaming to finally get it in a secured position. It stayed in place all day!!! I was so impressed 😄. After finishing photos of the two of them, it was time to head back to Carrie.

Carrie had finished her hair and was almost done with her makeup. While she finished, Alex and I ran to the reception area to capture it before people had arrived. They had the absolute cutest cake!!! If you haven't read Carrie and Jonathan's engagement session blog, go do it now 😁. Jonathan and Carrie have a dog named Casper and he is the absolute sweetest! While he wasn't at the wedding, their cake offered a subtle ode to him. He was included as part of their cake topper. I just loved it!

Heading back to the bridal suite, Carrie was ready to get into her dress. While the room was small. Carrie had at least 8 family members at the ready to take photos. 😂 I think all angles of the room were covered. She slipped on her shoes. A bejeweled pair of tennis shoes that were a perfect blend of comfort and beauty. She was ready to get married. Before the ceremony, Carrie had requested a photo of her and Jonathan praying together without seeing each other. We snuck Jonathan behind a door and brought Carrie out. A special moment that I felt honored to have been able to capture and witness. Once Carrie was back in her room, it was time for the ceremony. The ceremony was beautiful. They repeated their vows, exchanged rings, and sealed everything with a kiss. Returning down the aisle with large smiles of pure joy. As they approached the end I tried to signal a stop and a kiss, but I think I did the worst gesturing/signaling/sign language job ever 😂. As their smiles turned to confusion. Sorry for that confusion you two. Luckily we figured it out.

Right after ceremony we had family photos, and I had the best assistant ever!!! One of Carrie's family members was a wedding photographer and she was the best help with organizing family photos. While I had the list, she kept track of everyone and made everything go so smoothly. Thank you so much Sarah! You're the best 🤩. After family portraits, we took photos of the bridal party and ended with portraits of Jonathan and Carrie as husband and wife.

As the reception began, Carrie and Jonathan made their grand entrance. Her father gave the opening prayer. They shared their first meal together followed by a first dance. Something that I loved was a photo slide show that they shared. It featured images of both Jonathan and Carrie as they grew up and ended with images near their wedding date. As I walked around the room, I saw tears in so many eyes. A bittersweet moment. As the reception came to a close, the decision was made to do the sparkler exit early. We lined up the guests as Heidi, the matron of honor, helped light all the sparklers. A a photographer, I was secretly ECSTATIC to do a sparkler exit during golden hour 😍😍😍. It was a dream come true and another one of my favorites in the gallery. We ended the night with some photos in front of Carrie's grandfather's car. It was an absolute perfect moment as the sun was setting. As the sun went down, we said our good byes. Carrie and Jonathan, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to capture this special day.