I first officially met Brittnee and Skyler at their engagement session, and as cliché as I know it sounds, they immediately felt like old friends of mine. These two started dating in college when they were both at Western Illinois University, so their jokes and personalities seem to lean into one another in a way that can sometimes happen naturally as you spend your years of change and growth and maturation alongside someone you love. It was immediately apparent to me not only how much fun they had together, but how much fun people have when they’re in Brittnee and Skyler’s company – I can attest to this because I’ve now been lucky enough to be one of those people.

This wedding day fell on the same day as the wedding of a good friend of mine from high school, and unfortunately I was unable to be in two places at once. This happens often given the schedule and nature of my job, but that doesn’t mean it gets any less bittersweet for me in those moments. And this is precisely why I love Brittnee and Skyler that much more for choosing me to be a part of their day, and for being the welcoming people they are – because they have a way of taking you in and making you part of their group and their fun, and they mesh their family and friends and everyone they know and love all together, and they pass you a beer and then hug you and really mean it. That bittersweet feeling I felt initially quickly dissipated once I was hanging out with these two and their people, because without even knowing I needed it, they made me feel like one of the Bryner/Palen gang, too.

Their reception was a further indication of how these two are this energetic combination of fun and emphatic love and enthusiasm – there was a choreographed father/daughter dance, and there were happy tears, and matron-of-honor rapping, and kisses, and cheers, and so many gigantic laughs. I was laughing and crying and cheersing right along with them, camera in hand, and I couldn’t have imagined being anywhere else.

Reception Venue: iWireless Center
Videographer: Hoop House Creative
Bride’s Dress: A Storybook Ending | Dewitt, IA
Decor + Linens: I Do Events | Davenport, IA
Flowers + Centerpieces: Clazzy Designs
Cake: Sara Lynn’s Cakes | Bettendorf, IA [+ bride’s mother]
Catering: Levy Restaurants
DJ: Sas DJ’s