David+Hannah Part I: Married | Springfield, IL Wedding Photography

After a week of rain and blah, the day dawned beautiful, sunny, and a perfect 80 degrees. It was finally time for David and Hannah to get married! I feel a bit like a ridiculous giggly school girl writing this post because I am SO excited to bring this couple to you, and so overjoyed at their union. Their wedding day was absolutely perfect...relaxed, fun, full of family and friends community and laughter, and most of all, love. This family is very dear to me- I taught both the bride and her sister for the first 5 years of my career and the whole family has become close friends of ours over the years. I felt a bit like I was watching a little sister of mine get married, and it was so special for Michael and me to be such a big part of their day.  Because I have SO many pictures to share, I am going to break this post up into TWO parts- today is part 1- getting ready and portraits!!!

David and Hannah (you may remember them from their engagement session here) are just one of those couples that fit together.  In balance, in lifestyle, it all just works.  Their wedding was absolutely beautiful, full of DIY projects that Hannah and her mom and some dear friends had worked on for weeks.  Their reception carried a theme of showcasing all of their travels together, and brought their loved ones into their adventures.  We started the day nice and early, getting ready in Hannah's childhood home.








Hannah and her soon to be sister in law- love it!

Hannah's dress was amazing...lace, classy, and perfectly fit to her.






Time to get dressed...we were all so excited!





Dad seeing his oldest daughter in her wedding dress for the first time...


One of my favorites- Hannah, you are simply STUNNING!

Beloved Ruby, Hannah's family dog! Who doesn't want a picture with their dog on their wedding day???

While I do think the gentleman had a much easier morning, David was doing some getting ready as well...


And then it was time for the first look, one of my favorite parts of the day! We had SO much time for portraits with the couple and bridal party (which is why I needed 2 posts for this wedding!), but more importantly, David and Hannah got such a wonderful private moment together to hug and revel in the fact that they were going to be MARRIED soon!  A nervous groom waits for his bride...



They were both beaming with joy...it was so beautiful to witness!




Love this pull back of Michael's!



These are some of my favorites.




Then it was time to meet up with the bridal party!







Good looking group, huh?! We had a lot of fun together :)

And then we got some more time with our couple.




I have to talk for a minute about this next set of pictures. First, they are by a weeping willow, which are my favorite of trees- it just made me so happy. Second, we put Hannah's veil on, which was a stunning creation made by a highly talented friend of ours, combining Hannah's mom's veil with lace from her grandmother's wedding dress. So special, so many generations rolled into one- it was a showcase piece, and I was a bit obsessed with it!






David and Hannah's new home together is right near the park, so we got to take some extremely special pictures at their home. I LOVE these!


And ending with perhaps my favorite of the day! Stay tuned for the most important part, the CEREMONY (followed by an amazing party!!) coming to you tomorrow!!