Being engaged myself, I can’t imagine the stress and disappointment that brides are going through having to make the difficult decision on postponing or downsizing their wedding day. Anna & Zach had to do both. You may have seen their elopement on the blog back in March. They chose to have their ceremony on their original wedding date with just the two of them, Candace their planner, the officiant and myself. Scroll back to snoop! I was so excited for them on their postponed wedding date.

To see Anna happy and surrounded by her girl tribe made me so excited for her! The Cambria in Fort Mill was gorgeous and what photographer + hair/makeup team dreams are made of. Megan Oliveri & Ali Smit crushed the bridal party hair and makeup. Everyone looked stunning and stayed that way into the evening.

The boys were getting ready just one floor down. They were having a blast catching up. They may or may not have enjoyed their groomsmen gifts, you decide!

If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know I am detail obsessed. I had both bride and groom set aside their details for the day so that I could grab and photograph them together once I arrived at the hotel. I try to match the vibe of the lay flat to the wedding venue. Often times hotels don’t match the venue perfectly. I’ll let you in on a little secret, here I climbed onto of bar height chairs to photograph the details on top of one of the restaurant tables in the lobby area of the hotel.

Anna & Zach picked a venue that I have been itching to photograph a wedding at. I’ve been to the Dairy Barn many times for engagement sessions and bridal portraits but this is the first wedding for HOH. The venue has the BEST light. The reception room is so dreamy but you’ll see more of that later.

The front of the Dairy Barn was the perfect place for the wedding party portraits. It was the perfect overcast day, albeit a little warm. Zach & Anna has such a strong tribe that you can tell lifted them up and truly supported them on their big day.

Anna was stunning and ready to see her groom. These are the last few moments of a single (or maybe already married) woman. I’m so happy for her to get to wear her gorgeous gown and walk down the aisle at the Dairy Barn to promise forever to Zach

Zach cleaned up well himself. He went to Indochino for a custom suit. There were so many great details, like their initials and wedding day inscribed inside the suit breast pocket.

One last thing to do before ceremony time, Anna’s dad needs to see her for the first time. The anticipation of a first look kills me and this one was worth the wait!

One thing I love about the Dairy Barn is that the ceremony and reception space look completely different. The ceremony space is darker and gives a more moody vibe. The dramatic tones fit perfectly for a ceremony. The florals provided by Weddings with Barbara were just perfect.

The natural light flooded the loft where Anna and Zach said I Do. They have a videographer, Clint Boland, live stream the ceremony which is so neat and innovative. You have to get creative in these unusual times. For those that couldn’t travel or were cut due to the Corona Virus restrictions, this was the best way for them to witness the ceremony in real time.

It was over as soon as it started and the two were officially married. Now time to get some wedding party portraits before the reception begins.

Even though Anna & Zach had to postpone their original wedding date, this time everything went flawless. It was worth the wait.

Even though they had to cut their guest count nearly in half, the most important people, their family, were there. Both sets of parents were gushing about the couple and their relationship. It’s inspiring to see so much support for their relationship.

The benefit of having an engagement session (and a prior elopement) is that I know what poses work well for this couple. I also know their favorites! We were able to breeze through the wedding portraits smoothly and efficiently.

Here is the dreamy reception space that I talked about earlier. Candace Sharpe with Erin Padgett Events designed this space to be what Pinterest dreams are made of. Together with Barbara, she absolutely crushed it!

Anna & Zach had a beautifully choreographed first dance. I got to see it for the first time in the peach blossoms during their portrait session following their elopement in March. Go stalk our Facebook page to see the drone footage! They wanted to practice their first dance before anyone came into the reception. It was flawless!

Their first dances with their parents nearly had me in tears. You could see the emotion in their dancing. Such sweet moments.

Their cake was simple and delicious. My favorite part though was little Pepper, their lab, on the side of the cake. Pepper attended their elopement, and engagement pictures.

Often times toasts are the perfect opportunity to tell embarrassing stories about the bride and groom. The toasters definitely gave us that but also told us stories of their pasts, how they met and what they meant to each person. They were very well done.

The weather was perfect, all the way down to the epic sunset.

Good old Sweet Caroline to bring everyone out onto the dance floor.

Even though Carolina DJ Pros killed the entire reception, my favorite thing they do is encourage a last private dance. The last dance is full of emotion and is very sentimental to a bride & groom. It’s the last few moments of the day they’ve spent months planning and tens of thousands of dollars on. It’s the perfect moment of reflection.