When Mary and I first met, I don’t think I completely grasped her concept for she and Tyler’s wedding. Get married on one day (with a “loose” date), on top of a mountain, and then have a reception a couple months later? What? Will that work? YES! It worked, and it was awesome! Since Mary and Tyler’s June wedding ceremony and August wedding reception, I’ve been sharing about the awesome-ness of their wedding and how wonderfully brilliant their concept was! Let me fill you in on the details… Mary and Tyler decided they wanted to get married at Dolly Sods in West Virginia. It’s a beautiful spot on top of a mountain with views to die for. Because this outdoor location was so important to them, they wanted to make sure their ceremony would actually take place there, with very little fuss and very little worry about weather ruining the plan. They unofficially picked June 20th since it was a special anniversary with flexibility in mind in case of a threatening forecast. A cabin in the mountains provided space for bride-groom and guest quarters and their evening “after dinner.” They invited a very small amount of family and friends (and me!) to join them…and like I mentioned above, it was awesome. So here’s Mary and Tyler’s wedding day. It was a dream, in my book…

These shoes were more than appropriate for the bride and groom and the ceremony location.

Tyler relaxed while Mary got ready in the room next to him. The laid-back, very relaxed “getting ready” atmosphere was so refreshing!

I learned what Chacos are because of this wedding! 🙂

Mary ordered her own flowers and put the bouquets together herself. It’s a growing trend with my brides these days and I love it!

The dining area was beautifully set for the evening “celebration dinner” after the ceremony…

Mary’s sister Katie cooked dinner!

And Mary and Tyler stole a few moments before officially getting ready. Again, I loved the laid-back atmosphere of it all!

Isn’t Mary’s bouquet just gorgeous!?! One of the prettiest I’ve seen!

Cake toppers!

A woman and her dog best friend. 🙂

Mary was such a lovely bride…

One of their first official family photos!

One of the highlights of my day was riding in the car with Mary and Tyler. We had a 40-minute drive to Dolly Sods and it was a great time to really get to know them. I also stole a few shots of Mary writing her vows. 🙂

Another beautiful bouquet by Mary!

Tyler and the guests escaped to the mountain top ceremony location…

And Mary and her dad began the longer-than-usual but SO WORTH IT walk down the aisle…

As we walked, this is what the path revealed…and I was blown away! Was I really about to shoot a ceremony at this beautifully unique location!? YES!

And this was the view! A dream, right!?!

Dogs allowed during this wedding ceremony. 🙂

I’m fairly proud of this capture. Mary’s parents joyfully watching their daughter get married. 🙂

It was cloudy that day, but I’m pretty sure this space would be beautiful in any weather!

Just because you don’t have a BIG “normal” wedding doesn’t mean you can’t have bridesmaids!

The rain was upon us, so we had to move quickly for bride-groom portraits with that view…

I could have taken pictures there all day, but we had less than ten minutes! Good thing Tyler and Mary were up for another adventure. 😉

After running through the pouring rain, we got back in the car and drove further up the mountain to another spot for MORE PICTURES! Yep, Mary and Tyler didn’t let the rain hold them back. They knew pictures at this beautiful place was way more important than trying to stay dry. That’s my kind of couple!

So back out into the rain we went!

And Mary and Tyler introduced me to Bear Rocks…another gorgeous place in the mountains of West Virginia! The rain had turned into a drizzle and the sky was anything but clear. But we roughed and toughed it, and did it for the pictures. 🙂

Back at the cabin, Mary and Tyler’s friends and family were anxiously awaiting with champagne…and they even had a glass for me! So sweet. 🙂

These cakes are from the delicious Terra Cafe in Morgantown, WV. A place that’s highly recommended for breakfast, lunch, brunch, dessert and catering!

A beautifully calming ending to a beautiful and calm wedding day. 🙂

Well, I bet that’s unlike any other wedding day you’ve seen. But I think, overall, the concept is pretty brilliant. Get married at a “dream” intimate location with your absolute closest family and friends. Then, a short while later, plan for the hoopla with a big reception for the rest of your family and friends. Much less fuss and less worries about mess-ups and/or bad weather and everything needing to fall into place perfectly. I’d absolutely consider doing something similar if I were to get married again, and Brian would definitely agree. And I wouldn’t mind if more of my weddings were like what Mary and Tyler put together. 🙂

Mary and Tyler, I LOVED your wedding day! So unique, so relaxing, so once-in-a-lifetime for me as a photog. Thank you so much for including me in your small crowd and for giving me the opportunity to capture such a stunning backdrop. I hope I’ll get back up to Dolly Sods again soon. I’ll share your lovely reception in a later post. 🙂