Katie and Chris

Katie is one of those expressive people that you could photograph all day long and never get the same look twice. In fact, if you just stand there and shoot, you'll easily get three or four different expressions in a row. There is never a dull photo when Kate is in it...

She chose an elegant gray gown for her wedding dress and planned the event for the beautiful Wine Country Gardens just outside Defiance, Missouri. The Gardens are spread over many acres and have a plant nursery, vineyards, a large pond with swans (one of which would hiss loudly if you got too close!)

Katie and Chris's ceremony was held on the outside courtyard under a clear blue sky and not-too-hot temperatures. Because of the later start of the ceremony and the impending darkness, we scheduled some bride-and-groom shots before the ceremony, which meant Chris would see Katie's gown beforehand. So we decided that we'd do a "first glance" ceremony to make up for that.

A "first glance" ceremony is one in which we stage the first meeting of the couple so that they'll have that special moment of the groom seeing the bride in her gown for the first time. We had Chris stand on the porch of the main building with his back to Katie, who was hidden. She walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder -- only then could he turn round and see his bride-to-be in all her nuptial splendor. You can never tell what the groom will do when he turns around and, as the photographer, you have to be ready for almost anything!

Afterwards, we had a bit of trouble with mosquitos, but once the ceremony started they all seemed to have flown away. The only animal to invade the nuptials was a very young cat named Buster who, apparently, wanted to be part of the wedding party. However, once he started playfully batting at the bride's shoes, it was time for the Maid of Honor to scoop him up and hand him over to the guests...

Chris's family is from Tunisia and this gave the wedding a distinct multicultural flavor. During the ceremony Chris sang a Tunisian song to Katie and Katie countered with a poem she wrote just for him. During the reception, Katie's middle-eastern dance instructor (one of Katie's passions) danced for the crowd.

It certainly was a unique and elegant event and I appreciate the opportunity to photograph it. And we'll be able to put together an entire gallery of Katie expressions -- all happy ones of course!

My thanks to Katie and Chris and best wishes for a happy life ahead.