Reese and Austin’s August wedding at The Grand Ivory was one of those days that seemed to unfold effortlessly. From the moment I arrived, there was no sense of rushing or stress. The bridesmaids were nearly ready and spending the last little bit of the morning relaxing together in the bridal suite while they waited for the final touches on hair. Reese’s mom helped her into her wedding dress, and once everything was in place, Reese stepped out for a dress reveal with her bridesmaids. Their reactions were the perfect start to a day filled with so much genuine excitement for the two of them.
Meanwhile, the groom’s suite was an entirely different story. Usually, I walk into a room of chaotic bridesmaids and find the guys casually waiting around with a beer in hand. Reese and Austin’s wedding completely reversed that dynamic. While the girls were calmly hanging out upstairs, the groomsmen were trying to collectively figure out ties and pocket squares, eventually appointing one person to master each task and then help everyone else. There were beers, plenty of laughs and exactly the kind of energy you would expect from this group. Knowing they were definitely the rowdier half of the wedding party, I stole them away behind The Grand Ivory for their photos before the ceremony and let them have some fun with it.
Before seeing each other at the ceremony, Reese and Austin each took a quiet moment apart to read the personal vows the other had written. It was a beautiful contrast to the energy of the morning and gave them a chance to take in what the day was really about before everything began. Even without being together, there was something incredibly intimate about photographing each of them reading the other’s words and seeing those emotions unfold privately.
Their ceremony took place outside beneath The Grand Ivory’s new pavilion, and it couldn’t have been a more beautiful setting. The covered space softened the harsh midday sunlight while still allowing everything to feel bright and airy. Massive arrangements of colourful pink, orange, peach and white flowers framed Reese and Austin as they stood at the end of the aisle, with more florals lining the rows leading toward them. Against the natural wood of the pavilion and the greenery beyond it, the entire ceremony space felt colourful, romantic and warm without taking away from the surrounding landscape.
With their closest family and friends looking on, Reese and Austin finally said “I do.” Reese had already had the chance to read Austin’s personal vows privately, but that didn’t make the ceremony itself any less emotional. Tears streamed down her face as they stood together at the altar, and the love between them was impossible to miss. There are moments during a wedding when you can almost feel the emotion in the space around you, and this was one of them.
After the ceremony, we moved into family, wedding party and couple portraits before everyone headed inside for dinner. Because their timeline had been planned with plenty of breathing room, nothing felt like we were racing from one part of the day to another. Reese and Austin could take photos, spend time with their guests and actually enjoy being at their own wedding instead of watching the entire day disappear from one scheduled event to the next.
That relaxed feeling continued into the reception. The speeches were short and sweet, but they didn’t need to be long to show just how deeply these two are loved. There were plenty of laughs mixed in with some incredibly emotional moments—and even a few of Austin’s groomsmen had a hard time holding back their tears. After seeing their personalities earlier in the day, watching that same rowdy group become emotional during the speeches made the moment even sweeter.
As the evening settled in, we slipped away from the reception for a few more portraits just as the sun was beginning to disappear behind the trees. The warm light filtering through the greenery gave us the perfect ending to their portraits, and Reese and Austin were willing to trust me, follow my direction and let me play with the light while they simply enjoyed a few quiet minutes together away from the reception.
More than anything, Reese and Austin’s wedding reminded me how much a relaxed timeline can change the feeling of an entire wedding day. There was time to breathe. Time to laugh with their wedding party, talk to family, enjoy dinner and actually be present with the people who had come to celebrate them. Nothing felt overly staged or rushed, and Reese and Austin were incredibly easygoing through every part of it. They trusted the process, trusted my vision and were happy to simply let their day happen around them.
From the calm morning in the bridal suite and considerably less calm groom’s suite, to the colourful ceremony beneath The Grand Ivory’s pavilion, emotional vows and speeches, and those last few portraits in the evening sun, it was a beautiful day from beginning to end. But what I’ll remember most is how easy it all felt. Reese and Austin weren’t focused on creating a perfect wedding day—they were present for the one they were actually having. And surrounded by their favourite people on a beautiful August day, they got to slow down, enjoy it and simply be happy to finally be married. 🤍
