Rachel and Ryan

Rachel and Ryan’s ceremony and reception were both held at the Quail Ridge Park Lodge near Wentzville, just outside of St. Louis. The ceremony was outdoors in a park gazebo under almost-clear blue skies and not-too-hot fall weather. The park itself has lots of great natural backdrops for photos, even though fall colors had not really taken hold yet.

But Rachel’s fall-colored theme for her detail more than made up for what nature was still working on, and we could also find a colored tree here and there with some sprinkles of colored leaves on the ground.

When I first met Rachel, she let me know she was an artist and was going for a very specific look in her wedding photographs. That might be intimidating for a photographer, but it was quickly apparent that this was a collaborative effort with Rachel contributing ideas as we shot before and after the ceremony. Trying to beat the mosquitos around the park for one image after another actually became fun as we both threw out new ideas for photos…!

When the reception started, it became apparent that Rachel’s friend and Maid of Honor, Cathy, is one wide-open lady, and is the perfect foil for the more subdued bride. In fact, the whole wedding party was loads of fun and went along with all our, sometimes a bit off-the-wall directions for photos…

Rachel and Ryan are taking a couple of days to celebrate and plan to take their honeymoon later… so here’s a tease guys: these few photos will give you a glimmer of the gallery to come. I hope you enjoy them.

Congratulations and thanks for letting me be part of the celebration.