Lorraine and Dan Get Married

This is how I knew that I was meant to photograph Dan and Lorraine’s wedding. When they mailed back their questionnaires that I have all my couples fill out, these are the kinds of things they wrote to describe their style, their personalities, and their likes: Hipster redneck. Old-fashioned weirdness. He Lays in the Reins- Calexico and Iron & Wine. We both wear Vans, Stetson, and secondhand store finds. I love, love, love horses. Everything about horses. Horse poop? Love it. Dan and I both have this thing about the X-Files. The first time I walked into his office and saw his “I Want to Believe” poster above his desk, I clearly recall thinking “He might be the one.”

Oh yeah. It was meant to be. And their wedding did not disappoint. It was a wonderful hodgepodge of Day of the Dead meets Little Women meets Wild, Wild West meets…. awesomeness? There were so many lovely handmade details and personal touches, and to me, having only known them for a short time, it completely represented who they are. These two are some of the most genuine, kind, and down-to-earth people you could meet. I kid you not, shortly after I posted the blog about my dad having a stroke, Lorraine emailed me and said that she cried while reading it and would totally understand if I was unable to shoot their wedding. I just couldn’t get over that…. as a bride, putting the emotional needs of your photographer over your own wedding photographs is pretty unheard of! I of course assured her that I was still more than able and willing to shoot their wedding, but I was nonetheless completely humbled by her thoughtfulness.

What I also love about Lorraine and Dan is that they are so individual, and they kind of do their own thing, but they have complete respect for their roots and for honoring tradition, which I find quite charming. Also, I told Lorraine that, as a couple, they kind of remind me of Jenny Lewis and Jonathon Rice together, and because I am a wee bit obsessed with them, naturally I am inclined to like anyone who reminds me of them. :)

The only downfall of the whole day was that poor Lorraine got sick right after the ceremony. I felt so bad for her, because she ended up having to miss the first half of her own reception! :( Poor girl. But she was such a trooper, and honestly, I don’t think anyone could ever tell by looking at these photos that anything was wrong. She never stopped smiling, regardless of how terrible she must have been feeling on the inside. Major kudos!

And now, onto the photos!

They got married at This is the Place here in Salt Lake City, which is a sort of recreation of an early pioneer town. Super adorable! They had their ceremony at the little white chapel on the grounds, then headed to the old hospital (yes…. hospital!) for the reception. The venue 100% fit their style, and I have to say, if I had gotten married here in Utah, I would have been mighty tempted to do it here.

I just loved all the decor, too. Lorraine did some pretty amazing crafty things on her budget… she and everyone who helped her should be very proud!

Yes, the guy who literally looks like an Amish man…. he totally married them. It was pretty rad.

I love that Lorraine told her bridesmaids to wear a navy dress of their choosing, and that they carried wildflower bouquets and mixed it up with the accessories. Just fantastic. Also, this is actually Lorraine’s second dress, which she changed into for the reception. LOVE. And the boots? LOVE x A BILLION.

Helloooooooo gorgeous.

And of course we had to incorporate the horses on the grounds! This image is just magical to me.

This guy? Totally slimed Dan’s arm while we were shooting. You can tell by the devious look in his eyes. :)

Dan and Lorraine have tons of adorable nieces and nephews.

In lieu of cake, they had a cobbler buffet and a pie table! Nice.

So, I’ll admit that sometimes, when there are lulls in the action at weddings, I like to challenge myself to do something interesting to keep the creative juices flowing. Because I spotted so many awesome shoes at the reception, I decided to do a shoe portrait collage. I love how it turned out!

Best moment of the day? Dan surprised Lorraine by singing Patty Griffin’s “Coming Home to Me” to her. Yes, I was weeping. But so was everyone else!

Now this? THIS is a kiss, people.

And now, the slideshow of course! I used a collection of songs that played a pretty important role in the whole wedding, so I hope you like ‘em. Ending, of course, with the lovely Patty Griffin’s “Coming Home to Me,” which now, whenever I hear it, I will inevitably choke up. Enjoy!