Remember Shannon and Mel from their intimate engagement session at their historic home in McIntosh? Their wedding, which also took place at their home, was every bit as intimate and elegant. The ceremony was beautifully performed and every person in attendance was a close friend or family member, which made the wedding that much more special.

A sign hanging in their home- how wonderful and inspirational.

Just loved this shot of the bride’s bouquet lying on the bed in their home.

Their rings. Shannon’s ring served as both her engagement ring and her wedding band, because to her she said it just felt “right.” The stones on her ring represent the joining of their two families.

Shannon’s mom helping her lace up her gown.

Shannnon had her mom walk her down the aisle- it was such a sweet moment. Here she is just before the ceremony- taking a deep breath.

Mel watching Shannon come down the aisle.

I LOVE this picture- It’s like they are saying “WE DID IT!!!”

Thank you Mel and Shannon for having me there to photograph your special day. I can tell that every moment of your marriage is truly going to be blessed and that your home will be full of love. I hope you enjoy your sneak peek and your full gallery will be active soon!

Jessica and Sam were married August 15, 2009 at the beautiful Rustic Manor in Newberry, Fl. Here are some of the photos from their special day. Since Jessica and Sam were one of my first couples to hire me as their wedding photographer last August, I am sharing an extra long sneak peek here as my thank you.

The bridesmaids before the wedding, looking absolutely fabulous!

While the girls were getting ready my awesome assistant Jenna went with the boys to the UF Stadium for some groomsmen photos.

Just before the ceremony- Jessica trying to calm her nerves. Doesn’t she make a gorgeous bride?

With her father walking down the aisle.

Sam trying to get a look at his bride.

And the beautiful couple.

Jessica and Sam chose to incorporate a sand ceremony to represent the joining of their two lives into one.

The groom.

This little one was so enthralled with tossing her flowers, she kept doing it al through the ceremony!

The groomsmen “lost” Jessica’s ring. Here is one looking in his shoe for it. The ring had found itself a great hiding spot around his toe.

Exchanging of rings, toe jam and all.

Some quick photos after the ceremony before the formal pictures took place.

You have got to love these candid moments. Thank’s to Jenna for capturing this great shot!

And here are some fun shots with the bridal party.

And some more of Sam and Jessica as husband and wife.

Welcome to the reception- where this couple certainly knew how to have FUN! Here they are dancing their way in as their grand entrance.

First dance.

And a little cake on the face never hurt anyone, but certainly makes for a good time!

All the lovely single ladies looking to catch the bouquet.

Congratulations Jessica and Sam! Hope you had a fabulous time on your honeymoon. Thank you for inviting me to be there to capture your wedding day, and I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek!

If the old adage about rain on your wedding day is true, then Jessica and Sam have many years of a blissfully happy marriage ahead of them. Not only did it rain on their wedding day- there was a significant weather alert for Alachua County the entire afternoon of their wedding. The rain did not dampen the spirits of the bride or the groom, and Jessica said that the outdoor wedding ceremony would go on rain or shine.

The sky as we arrived at the Rustic Manor for the pre-ceremony coverage. Just slightly ominous. My second shooter and I actually had to wait in the car for almost 45 minutes for a long enough break in the rain that we could get our gear inside!

Once the rain let up, I went inside to meet with the bride for her pictures, and Jenna, my second shooter, headed to the UF stadium to brave the weather there for pictures of the groom and his entourage. More of those photos in an additional post.

Jessica writing a special note for Sam. Her gift to him on their wedding day was a Black Book of images taken from one of my Rockstar Boudoir Marathon sessions earlier this summer.

Jessica even decorated the bottom of her shoes! I love creative brides!

Some of the beautiful bride in her dress. As a photographer sometimes you just get lucky with unbelievable lighting that lets you capture shots like these. Her dress is by Solutions Bridal.

Flowers in a light plum color and white- absolutely beautiful thanks to Prange’s Florist.

Jessica had mentioned a long time ago that she was in search of the perfect cupcake- and here is why. In lieu of a traditional wedding cake the couple had cupcakes provided by Cakes By Pam Greenwell with an anniversary cake topper. How fabulous.
cupcakes

And this pretty much says it all- the theme of the day:

The Rustic Manor just after sunset. Amazing sky, amazing venue, amazing day.

Congrats to Jessica and Sam who are celebrating their nuptials on a week long honeymoon. Many more of the couple, the ceremony and their celebration coming soon!