I walked through the front door of Laney and Casey’s home the morning of their wedding and was immediately greeted by their two dogs; Henry was perched on the back of the couch, while Essie casually sniffed at my camera bag. Laney and her girls were scattered across the main floor getting their hair and makeup done, and I casually started snapping as the light-hearted conversations and contouring continued. As I roamed from room to room, I noticed a thick stack of photo books sitting on the kitchen table amidst the makeup palettes and mimosas; I opened the one titled “our first year of pictures” and was met with baby-faced photos of Casey and Laney, and paragraphs about first dates and kisses and the initial moments that eventually became the beginning of their story. I continued to find myself entirely wrapped up in the narrative while eventually flipping through “our seventh year of pictures”, a book with moments that felt less driven by butterflies and more so by the stuff that lasts. I smiled to myself as I closed the book, because there was something beautifully surreal about the fact that the reason I was there in that moment was to take photos of a day that would eventually be added to the book about year eight.

One of the things I often tell my couples is that something will likely go wrong on their wedding day; in my years of experience with weddings, there is essentially always something that doesn’t go according to plan, and thus, this has always held true. At the end of Casey and Laney’s wedding day, I realized I couldn’t claim this anymore — from what I could see, this day could not have possibly been more perfect. The morning felt smooth and calm, and Laney and Casey were continually laid back and content as I photographed them with their families and friends. The videographer, who had flown in from Florida, was in Iowa for the first time and commented to me about how beautiful the weather was, and he was absolutely right. In the midst of an unseasonably warm midwest September fell this gorgeous day for Casey and Laney’s outdoor ceremony, and we were able to use the golf carts to roam the course as their guests had drinks on the club’s patio afterward. As the night went on, everything felt so seamlessly easy (and it’s not often I use that word when talking about a wedding day), but with Laney and Casey, it just was. They mingled with old friends and new friends and danced and belted out lyrics along with their dueling pianos, and the reception was so fun that I found myself not ready to stop photographing by the end. My realist “something will go wrong” theory got entirely squashed by this wedding day, and I am more than ok with that.

Venue: Davenport Country Club
Wedding Planner: Stress Free Weddings
Cake: Old Towne Bakery
Dress: La Belle Vie 
Florist: JE Designs
Hair (Bride/BMs): Katie Mahoney
Hair (Attendants): Ellie DeLaere
Linens: I Do Events
Make-Up (Bride + BMs): Brooke Olson
Make-Up (Attendants): Glam2Go
Dueling Pianos: Felix & Fingers
Officiant: Steve Rigdon
Photo Booth: Twisted Mics
Suits: Men’s Warehouse
Transport: Luxury Limousine
Video: Messersmith Films