Jessica & Sam: I Do

Technical difficulties prevented me from posting about last weekend’s wedding of Jessica and Sam, so to make up for the delay, this is going to be long. However, it was a gorgeous wedding with so many charming, homespun details that it won’t be hard to pick a lot of images to share.

Jessica and Sam were married at the tiny Methodist church in Ironton, and their reception was held at Jessica’s parents’ beautifully refurbished barn a few miles from town. I headed out there first to get some details shots before the guests arrived, so I’ll start with those…

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The seating assignments were hung on a clothesline…

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…and each table’s theme was a kind of cheese. The head table fittingly got fresh curd.

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The bridesmaids’ bouquets, in mason jars. Isn’t that sweet? Jessica had beautifully planned everything, but it all came off very relaxed.

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The lovely Jessica getting ready.

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Her dress was, in a word, spectacular, especially the tiered pleats down the back.

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I love this image, showing her circle of friends (and sister) surrounding and supporting her.

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When Sam proposed to Jessica, he didn’t have a ring yet, so he made one from a blade of grass. She kept it in a little jewelery box, and delicately put it on beneath her engagement ring to wear during the wedding.

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Jessica’s mom arrived, and though she had been holding it together up until then, Jessica started tearing up. They’re obviously very close.

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Sister and maid of honor Nicole was there to fan away the tears.

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The church was very quaint and packed with friends and family.

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I love the way Sam is looking at her here. You get the sense he knows how lucky he is.

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They rode from the ceremony in Jessica’s grandma’s car, which was so awesomely vintage. The dice were a nice touch.

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We sneaked off to get a few shots along a road not far from the farm. This is just about straight from the camera; the afternoon was absolutely perfect.

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Good friends getting their own photos of the couple when they arrived at the farm for the reception.

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When Jessica told me the reception would be in a barn, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But it was gorgeous. Sam and some of the men hung huge white paper lanterns and strings of white lights from the rafters, and the warm late-day sun streamed in through the doors and windows. It was really lovely.

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In fact, I now recommend that everyone have their first dance in a barn, in front of a large open door facing west just before dusk. Because this was the best first-dance lighting I’ve ever experienced. It didn’t hurt, either, that the bride herself was glowing…

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Congratulations, Jessica and Sam, and thank you so much for welcoming me to spend the day with your friends and family in such a beautiful setting. I hope you’re enjoying your honeymoon in Costa Rica!