Will & Chasity's wedding was on a warm (coulda been hot, it was August after all) day. It's been a hot minute since their beautiful wedding but nonetheless it's still one of my favorite things I photographed in 2023.
When I arrived to the church the groom and his groomsmen were playing fooseball down in the basement while the bride and bridesmaids were curling hair and doing their makeup upstairs. Everyone was in cheerful moods and the vibe was relaxed and excited for the wedding.
Before the ceremony Chasity had a first look with her dad. Chasity stood in the center of the room with her mom next to the door. Once given the all clear, her dad came in. I don't think there was a dry eye in that room. After that she and Will wanted to do a special moment where they could read personalized vowels they wrote for each other, hold hands but keep Will from seeing her before the ceremony. The room was silent as they read their vows. There was so much excitement between the two of them, they couldn't wait to say I do!
Will and his groomsmen stood at the front as bridesmaids made their way down the isle. The beautiful flower girls were Will & Chasity's daughters who walked down with bubble guns. Chasity was walked down the isle and given away by her dad. The ceremony was sweet and sealed with a kiss. After the ceremony everyone made their way outside to cheer on the NEW Mr. & Mrs. Smith! After done hugging and loving on the newlyweds we moved onto family portraits indoors. I take what I said at the beginning back, it was infact hot now that I remember. That's why we did family portraits indoors to keep everyone, especially the grandparents nice and cool during the process.
After wrapping up family portraits the wedding party and I made our way to the old state house where we did bridal party portraits. We used the front of the building and the stairwell inside. I am so grateful they aloud us to use the building even in the middle of them doing a tour inside.
From there we went to the venue which was 8th Day Venue, also located in Vandalia. They served their guests dinner and cut their beautiful cake. There was speeches & games, dancing, laughter, and lots of tear filled smiles. So many special moments, it was such a beautiful wedding for such a sweet couple!
