Jordan + Patrick
Last month, Jordan and Patrick were married on a wonderfully sunny day in Coeur d’Alene, ID. Surrounded by family and friends and married by one of their favorite priests, their wedding ceremony was at the beautiful St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, and their reception was held at Coeur d'Alene Cellars.
There were so many beautiful things that made their wedding day so special. Jordan’s stunning dress blew me away, and the joy in the air was palpable. I mean, when a bouncy house is involved, you can't help but be happy. :)
I think my favorite part of the whole day, though, was seeing how often Jordan and Patrick touched base with each other throughout the reception. That might seem like a given, considering it was their wedding day, but you would be surprised at how many brides and grooms get caught up in the whirlwind of wedding guests and cake cutting and all the things that they don’t really take the time to see each other during their actual wedding day. Ever so often, I’d look over and see Jordan and Patrick exchanging a look, or laughing quietly, completely focused on the other person and oblivious to everyone else.
It was such a honor photographing these two and all their wonderful family and friends. I’m excited to share some favorite snaps with you today!
Every wedding has things that work well, and I thought I’d share a couple things from this particular wedding that really stood out to me:
(1) Never underestimate the power of a good DJ. They hired Michael from Ruby Frog Entertainment, who I’ve actually worked with before, and he was awesome. He was able to direct the crowd without being awkward, had Jordan and Patrick play the shoe game (which is kind of like the newlywed game, but with shoes) and kept playing songs that made people want to stay on the dance floor, including a great Grease medley that stole the show.
(2) Keep ‘traditions’ that you like, and forget about the ones you don’t. Jordan and Patrick decided to forego the cake cutting and, honestly, I don’t think anyone missed it. Folks were able to grab cupcakes whenever they wanted, and still marvel at their beautiful cake. For some people, cutting the cake in front of everyone is the last thing they want to do. For others, it’s passing on first dances, or a bouquet toss, or any of the other ‘must-have’ wedding traditions that Pinterest says you’re supposed to do. Stay true to you, and you won’t go wrong.
(3) If you’re going to say hi to each table, stay flexible and be cognizant of your time. People travel near and far to attend your wedding, of course you’re going to want to say hi to them! A lot of couples underestimate how much time it takes to go from table to table, though. I thought Jordan and Patrick did a good job of getting on top of this by eating their dinner privately while guests arrived, before they were introduced. That way, they were able to dive right into socializing once they joined the reception. Even still, we had to cut their time short to move onto speeches and dances. If making sure you talk to everyone is a priority for your wedding, know it’s doable, but planning ahead and making adjustments like they did will go a long way when it’s time for the reception.
Jordan and Patrick, thanks so much for asking me to be part of such a special day! Wishing you many blessings as you start this new chapter together!
xo,
