Matt and Val's Autumn Backyard Wedding
Last year was so different in terms of wedding photography. Since I made the move to New Orleans in the beginning of 2020 I saw a dramatic change in the wedding industry worldwide and it was such a challenging year for wedding planning. There were so many uncertainties that couples had to endure. Covid outbreaks, vendors closing indefinitely, venues having occupant restrictions, dates being postponed and the list goes on. Matt and Val weren’t immune to these wedding planning hurdles. After figuring out their venue needed to severely restrict their wedding, they decided to plan their wedding in more DIY and personal fashion. I love that couples are adapting to the situations being to dealt to them and creating something completely different!
Maura and Ray, close friends to Matt and Val, offered to host the wedding in their backyard. That’s a serious undertaking for anyone to take on and I could see how grateful they were for their generosity. DIY weddings are a group effort and it took many hands to make their vision come to life.
Inside the house there were stations set up for hair, make up and getting dressed. Val and her bridesmaids all had their hair and make up done by the people over at Alisha Nicole & Co.
One advantage to everything being held in one house/backyard, was my ability to go back and forth to the bride and her bridesmaids and the groom and his groomsmen. When I arrived the guys were all dressed, hanging out and patiently waiting for the festivities to start.
Now on to the first look. I almost always suggest a first look if the couple is open to something non traditional. It’s a great time to have a moment to themselves during such a hectic and stressful day. I especially think it’s important when your wedding is mainly DIY and you’re spending most of the day handling setting up and handling every day of issue that comes your way. I think Matt and Val appreciated their moment together before beginning the ceremony.
After a few minutes of taking in the first look we had to take them back inside while guests started to show up and be seated. It was great to see how quick everyone found a seat and they were able to get the ceremony started. Love small weddings! At this point the sun hadn’t been out for most of the day so I was expecting a pretty cloudy ceremony but the sky opened up a few minutes before and there was some beautiful golden light cascading into the wedding. I think that’s a good sign!
Right after the ceremony everyone grabbed their chairs and started walking towards the tent to get ready for the reception. The reception was held in the tent then expanded into the yard and fire pit after dinner was served. It made it feel like a much larger wedding than it really was.
Before the festivities were done, there were cakes to be cut!
I want to congratulate Matt and Val on their marriage! I’m honored to have been their photographer for their special day and want to wish them all the best. Thanks for trusting in me to capture your day!
Here’s a list of the vendors that Val and Matt trusted with their day!
Tent, chairs, heaters, table cloths - Drake’s Rental
Flowers - Gift Box Floral
Pergola & wooden wall backdrop - Joe’s Wood
Make-up/hair - Alisha Nycole & Co.
Catering - The Sticky Pig
Shuttle bus service - A&A Limousine
Venue - Maura & Ray Snyder