Driving down the windy country road on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, I pulled into Heather and Jason’s driveway, so excited to capture their wedding day celebrations. Heather and Jason first met at Purdue University, and after seven years of dating, they finally tied the knot! With their closest family and friends surrounding them, they had the most stunning rustic Indianapolis backyard wedding, where they committed their lives to each other in their horse pasture on their property.
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This was my second visit to Heather and Jason’s beautiful home since we had also photographed their engagement session there. They had incredible family and friends who came together to make sure they had the best day ever celebrating their love. While having a backyard wedding is incredibly romantic, I remember Heather and Jason talking about how much work it really was to pull it off, but I know their wedding was even more special taking place on their property instead of a local venue.
They purchased tents to host the wedding reception in their second horse pasture, and they had so many amazing details and decor for the day; the floral work was out of this world, and paired so beautifully with their ceremony site being under the trees.
Heather and her bridesmaid Marianna, who is a long-time best friend, were getting ready in the kitchen when I arrived. Their laughter filled the home, and it was clear they were enjoying their time together preparing for this celebration. Jason, his groomsman Troy and his father got ready downstairs with lots of time spent in front of the mirror making sure those ties looked absolutely perfect.
While there was some rain showers while the couple got ready, the weather cleared up, and we were greeted with the most perfect sunny day for their festivities the rest of the evening.
Heather and Jason chose to do a first look prior to their wedding ceremony, which was one of the most beautiful first looks I’ve had the opportunity to capture. It was clear that these two were just so excited to finally call each other husband and wife, and I was so honored to capture the pure joy they had seeing each other for the first time.
With the smaller bridal party, we were able to build their timeline to include extended time spent on their couples portraits, which is always so fun! We can just really take our time and relax instead of rushing through portraits to get to the ceremony or reception site on time.
For their ceremony, they had set up a beautiful arbor with greenery, and they chose to do a wine and whiskey box during their ceremony. They chose their favorite wine – for Heather – and whiskey – for Jason – and wrote letters to each other to put inside the box. During the ceremony, they closed up the box together, and it is meant to be opened when they have their first fight during marriage to remind each other of how they felt when they got married. If they don’t have a fight in the first year, they will open it on their first anniversary and enjoy!
After their ceremony, we captured all their family formals, a few more husband and wife portraits with wedding rings, and headed off to their reception. They had grilled pizza and delicious cupcakes for dessert, along with Manhattans and mojitos – his and her drinks of choice. All of the reception decor was specially picked, designed, and built by Heather and Jason themselves, and the glassware they chose for the head table were special pieces that belonged to Jason’s paternal grandparents.
Their matron of honor and best man gave a toast to the couple, sharing stories from growing up together, then Heather and Jason had their first dance as husband and wife. Their dance was beautifully intimate and special, and I loved seeing how happy they were to just be celebrating their love and devotion to one another with their closest people surrounding them.
The reception kicked off after that, as guests enjoyed cupcakes, drinks, and great conversations. I snuck Heather and Jason out for a few more portraits at sunset before I said goodbye for the evening.
It was such a blessing to have been connected with this amazing couple and have them choose me to photograph such a special day to celebrate their marriage. Heather and Jason, thank you so much again for trusting me to capture this day for you and I wish you both years of happiness and love together!
Autumn Howell Photography is a Fort Wayne wedding photographer, serving clients across central Indiana, including Kokomo, Muncie, Indianapolis, and Bloomington. Learn more about booking me as your wedding photographer!
Vendors:
Venue: Gabl Residence
Violinist: Emily Ann Thompson
Florist: Jen’s Stems
Cake & Dessert: Bamber’s Sweet Creations
Caterer: Byrne’s Grilled Pizza
Rings: Lashbrook Designs
Invitation Designer: Zazzle
Makeup Artist: Kayla Sewell
Hair Stylist: Kayla Sewell
Wedding Dress: Sophia’s Bridal and Tux
Suit Designer: JoS A. Bank
