Wedding

Second shooting with Kristen Mittlestedt photography is always such a fun experience and I love being able to share what a second photographer sees during the day! These are some of the highlights of mine from Rachelle & Qunetin’s Freemason Hall Fort Wayne Wedding day!

When I first arrived at the church and found the bridal party, I couldn’t help but notice how elegant Rachelle looked sitting in her chair while the makeup artist was finishing up. She already looked like a model and had the most contagious and effortless laugh. The whole room was buzzing with happy brides finishing up their makeup and choosing which jewelry to wear. Normally, the first thing we photographers do when we arrive on a wedding day is a check-in with the bride and start photographing the details.

The details are things like:

• The full invitation suite
• Your shoes
• Jewelry
• All the rings
• Your bouquet
• & Your dress!

However, when we went to start photographing the jewelry Rachelle said she wasn’t sure what she wanted to wear and pointed to a bag sitting on a nearby table. She told us to pick out what we liked! Talk about freedom and pressure! Haha! She had about 30 items of elaborate jewelry! She did indeed choose her favorites but it was so funny since most brides are very simple!

When the wedding ceremony was about to begin, Quentin was nervous and excited to see his beautiful bride. My job as the second photographer is to be at the front of the aisle to capture the bride walking down and to capture the groom’s reaction. Quentin didn’t disappoint, nor did many others! Mom was tearing up, the bridesmaids were nearly all teary-eyed and even one of the groomsmen had a tear rolling down his cheek! To be honest, I totally cried as well! It was just so sweet and happy! The rest of the ceremony was filled with sweet laughter and sealed with their first kiss! One unique thing about the end of the ceremony was when they did a “jumping over the broomstick” tradition! This tradition was popular among African American cultures and dates back to 1764! Read about it here!

Rachelle & Quentin decided to have their reception at the Freemason’s Hall in downtown Fort Wayne, IN. A large ballroom with a grand seating arrangement to accommodate for their large bridal party, and plenty of space for guests to dine and dance! I loved the roses and pops of purple in the reception pieces! One of my favorite parts about the reception was that at the end of their first dance, they included their baby boy and held him as he danced around. It was a moment that would make your heart flutter!

After the formalities of a wedding, photographers love to take their wedding couples out for bride and groom portraits one more time for the “Golden Hour” portraits. Unfortunately, it was an overcast evening but we still captured some gorgeous portraits outside the venue and down the street. We were just about to finish up with portraits when we hear a really loud BOOM! We looked over-head and there were FIREWORKS! They certainly made up for the overcast skies!

Congrats Rachelle & Quentin on your beautiful Freemason Hall Fort Wayne Wedding!