We were hit with a double whammy for Elizabeth and Chase’s wedding. It was cold AND rainy. It was the first weekend in November so the weather really could have been anything. Of course it wasn’t the best and it did present some challenges, but I still think Elizabeth and Chase had a beautiful wedding, and I think we were able to walk away with a beautiful image collection despite the conditions.

When I started the day with Elizabeth and her girls, I mostly remember Elizabeth’s mom. She was immediately helpful and friendly and showed me all of Elizabeth’s bridal details. She also told me how glad Elizabeth was to have me and how much she appreciated my help with everything so far. I immediately felt comfortable and welcomed and I knew it was going to be a good day, even with the ugly weather.

My second shooter Callie and I spent the day dodging the rain, shivering in the cold, remembering names (they had a HUGE wedding party!) and making sure Elizabeth and Chase were comfortable. They were such a sweet couple and I really enjoyed working with them and everyone else involved. 🙂

Elizabeth had some BEAUTIFUL flowers!

And her details looked good in both black and white and color!

Elizabeth reading her note for Chase. 🙂

Elizabeth’s sweet mom. 🙂

A good grandma moment. 🙂

Elizabeth looking beautiful and elegant…

Thankfully it didn’t rain the entire day. We found a window of time for some bridesmaids pictures before the ceremony and were able to use some colorful yard space across the street to do so…

So glad we were able to find the last bit of fall color in November!

Ten minutes into taking pictures, the rain started again, so we hurried inside and waited. While we were waiting, Elizabeth’s dad and brother came to the rescue with an “umbrella”…or the table umbrella from the outdoor furniture, ha! I very much appreciated their creativeness! 🙂

And then the rain let up again…sort of. I knew I wanted to get Elizabeth back outside for some bridal portraits, so we made these happen by…

By using another table umbrella! This guy kindly held the umbrella high above Elizabeth while I snapped the above bridal portraits. She stayed dry and I was able to get the shots I needed. THANK YOU and YAY! 🙂

Then it was time to hang with the guys!

Chase had 13 groomsmen! Definitely the biggest wedding party I’ve ever worked with. And I made it a point to learn ALL THEIR NAMES…and I did! I pride myself in my mad name-learning skills. My bridesmaids and groomsmen are usually quite impressed. 🙂

If you look closely, you can see the rain drops falling. I told the guys to quickly walk inside, but to make it look good. 🙂

The ceremony was held just inside the main Stonewall Jackson resort lodge…

Look how beautiful!!!

I bet you they laugh a lot together. 🙂

I felt bad about it, but knew it had to be done. Taking the wedding party outside when it’s spitting rain and the temperatures are borderline freezing never sounds like a fun idea, but this group stayed strong and worked fast! Thank you bridesmaids and groomsmen!

I scoped things out ahead of time and chose our “picture spots” based on background and light. And because it was fall, I knew I needed to find color! This tree may have been on its last leg for fall, but it did what I needed it to do!

I loved Elizabeth’s added accessory!

So many good moments of these two. 🙂

I was so thankful to head inside and get ready for the reception! Not because the wedding party didn’t do well at pictures, but because it was SO COLD!

There were so many good speeches at this wedding…

I’m pretty sure everyone that talked about Chase was out to politely and appropriately embarrass him. 🙂

Their first dance started out slow and intimate…

And then they let their true personalities shine!

Some sweet mama moments. 🙂

This picture reminds me of my Grandpap Smith. He could often be found on one knee telling us kids stories and teaching us…

I don’t have some romantic, intimate bride-groom reception shot to close out this wedding blog post, but that wasn’t exactly Elizabeth and Chase’s style. They were there to have fun! 🙂

Thank you for a wonderful day, Elizabeth and Chase! And a special thank for enduring the cold and rain for pictures. I hope you guys are sharing plenty of laughs in your married life together. 🙂