Another October wedding, another happy photographer! This day was full of things I love — dogs, the St. Louis Blues, an epic golden hour sunset, flower crowns and oh, tons of giggles. Nena and Alex planned a day that was a ton a fun, and I am so glad to have been included. Their big day was all about hanging out with friends and being together, and I loved every minute of it. They got ready together that morning with their closest friends, family and their dogs, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never been around a more laid-back group of people.
After the Blues won the Stanley Cup last June, Nena and Alex decided they wanted to incorporate it into their wedding, which (in my opinion) is amazing because Let’s Go Blues. All of the guys wore Blues jerseys, and the gals decided to go the more traditional bridesmaid route with purple dresses. I know purple isn’t a Blues color, but Nena liked it and they’d picked them out before the Stanley Cup Final, so they just went with it. Together, blue, mustard and eggplant make for an awesome October color palette and against the backdrop of the landscape and Lost Hill Lake, it looked beautiful!
We took all of our bridal party photos by the lake at LHL, which was amazing — it even had this old bridge that I convinced Nena and Alex to walk out on for a couple of portraits, BEFORE they told me that they were totally terrified of falling in. I mean, had I known that I wouldn’t have even asked, but they were such troopers they did it for me. If I haven’t said it yet today, I’m gonna say right now, I love my clients. Then, we moved over to the main property at LHL to get ready for the ceremony, where they had a beautiful teepee set up in the birch grove. With the marigolds and the vintage furniture they’d collected for seating, it was a perfect fall afternoon. They were married by their close friend, Erica, who is also a former bride of mine!! It was so neat to get to see her do the honors for another couple, and truly a special moment. Alex and Nena and their whole bridal party danced down the aisle together to “When The Saints Go Marching In,” which was fabulous.
After the ceremony, guests mingled, played yard games and had cocktails in the grove while we did some quick couples portraits in the field across from the ceremony before the reception started. The bridal party danced in and for Nena and Alex’s introduction, they danced in with their dogs to Brett Hull singing “Gloria,” which was hilarious and amazing. We had amazing tacos for dinner from the Cha Cha Chow food truck (loooooooooove) and then did some more quick portraits when the sun set in the grove and made some magical golden hour light. It was one of those nights where it was still super humid and was maybe going to rain and hail and tornado and go nuts, but it missed us and instead we got an incredible sunset, which was badass.
Following some hilarious toasts, the night turned into an epic dance party, including a traditional family dance with all of Nena’s Alabama family to this insane country song, which was hilarious and I was so glad to be able to capture it. It was such a great night, and I hope you enjoy all of the images below!
Thanks to the following vendors for making this day awesome!!
Venue: Lost Hill Lake Events
Catering: Cha Cha Chow
Hair & Makeup: Nicole Martin Salon
The creativity and storytelling in this post are exceptional, and the images are simply gorgeous. You’ve done a remarkable job! Cheers, Anja.