This precious couple was full of joy and excitement throughout their entire wedding day. The Alabama wedding venue BridgeStreet Gallery and Loft couldn’t have been a better venue for Christine and Victor! As I say to all of my couples, we cannot guarantee that everything will go exactly perfectly on your wedding day, but that is why you hire the vendors you do, because who you choose to help you on your wedding day matters and makes the world of a difference!
On this particular wedding day, there was an unexpected rain storm during the couple’s first look! Thank goodness for BridgeStreet Gallery and Loft who allowed us to use the building early to get their photos done! If you are not familiar with this incredible venue, it is a lovely natural light filled building, with painted white exposed brick that brings a natural bright element to your wedding day.
After grabbing some wonderful detail shots and getting ready images of Christine and her mom, we drove a couple minutes down the street and took from bridal portraits of Christine. I love this time one-on-one with brides because it gives them a chance to take everything in and reflect on the wedding day, which can easily get busy. I believe that how you remember your day matters, and that can be easily attainable if you take time for quiet moments, as well as if you choose your wedding photographer well. How they capture your day is most likely going to be how you remember it.
These next couple of images were before the rainfall came, so we had some lovely light and green on this summer July day. Christine really wanted things to feel simple and elegant on her wedding day, so these florals from Laurel Green Studio, combined with this natural park was the perfect setting for Christine’s wedding photography dreams to come true. (By the way, all of the vendors from this day are linked below, including a link directly to BridgeStreet Gallery and Loft!)
In particular, this stone element at Avondale Park (located just outside of Birmingham, AL), where we took her bridal portraits, added such a lovely warm texture to these portraits of Christine. They created a simple European feel, and interesting visuals to these stunning photos of Christine.
And here we have come to the first look photos. This was the moment where the rain came, and we quickly made changes to the couple portraits plans. But before that, these are the very real and raw images from their first look. You can see the train on Victor’s jacket and on Christine’s veil, but it did not stop them from having a precious couple of minutes together. These photos may not be the picture perfect photos that most people would think of when it comes to first look photos, but this is where the important of having a photographer who will capture the authenticity of your day comes in. Do you want your photos to reflect the truth of your wedding day in an artful way, or do you want all of the photos to be faked, staged, and awkward? If you answered that you wanted them to be authentic, click HERE to chat with me. I have developed a process over the course of 8 years that guarantees authentic imagery through an experience of genuine relationships with my brides, heart to heart conversations, and serving you through the entire engagement process. The emotions are raw here, and they are authentic, and the decision to change locations made their day much smoother because I was able to keep the couple calm and collected during the whole process.
Once we got into the car, we called the director at BridgeStreet Gallery and Loft and asked her if we were able to arrive earlier than expected to finish their portraits inside the building due to the rain. The staff at BridgeStreet Gallery and Loft is so incredibly accommodating, which made this day run so smoothly. We were able to use the ceremony space upstairs, which has the most wonderful white brick walls. This Alabama wedding venue is truly perfect if you love the look of vintage exposed brick, but you don’t necessarily want your photos to be dark. The white brick is such a perfect place for that vintage feel while still being able to get good images with good lighting.
The groom needs photos too!! He is just as important as the bride 😉 I love how this backdrop created a more masculine feel for the groom portraits.
After we got Victor’s photos taken, we did a lot more couple portraits near this whimsical window. See how lovely the photos can be here at this venue? BridgeStreet Gallery and Loft truly has outdone themselves with the aesthetic of this venue. Which of these photos is your favorite? Let me know here!!
BridgeStreet Gallery and Loft, in addition to the white brick upstairs, has a lovely trellis-looking staircase that makes for really unique photos!! We took some photos of Christine and Victor going up the stairs, and I love the natural candid moments it created!
Then, we took some photos at the alter by the greenery laden cross!
Then, we moved on to get some lovely photos of the bridal party! One of the most important things about any wedding day is the fact that all of your people are in the same place at the same time. How fun are these photos of these friends and family?!
Now, moving on to the ceremony, where Christine and Victor shared beautiful, tear-filled vows. This is the most sacred things of all weddings…the weightiness of capturing two people vowing their lives to each other. What a privilege!
After saying their vows, Christine and Victor slipped away outside (the rain has gone!) to have some quiet moments between the two of them. I was able to capture the pure joy of their “oh my gosh we are married!” feelings, and it was an honor. I decided to capture these in black and white film, because it just seemed to be fitting for the moment. These are some of my favorite, most joyful images of all time!
To create some fun vintage elements for their wedding gallery, I also shot black and white film at the reception! It made the most emotionally-drawing and fun reception dancing photos!
Then it was time for cake!!
Annnddd, they’re off!
Here are the links to all of the vendors from this day!
VENDORS: Shelby Willoughby | BridgeStreet Gallery and Loft | Tutwiler Hotel | Bridal Bliss Homewood | Laurel Greene Studio | Marc Jacobs perfume | Steve Madden | Happy Catering Co | PropHouse | Minted
I'm Shelby, your Alabama Wedding Photographer. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for checking out this blog post. I hope you find it helpful in your journey of wedding planning.
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