Crystal and Luke Get Married

When Crystal called me on Wednesday night, three days before her wedding, to touch base about some of the final details, she said something that nearly made me fall out of my chair.

“So I’m making my own wedding dress…. as in, present tense making it, about 30% done.”

Did I mention this was three days before the wedding? My mom was freaking out when she hadn’t finished my dress three months before our wedding!

I have to say, when I showed up on Saturday just in time to see Crystal try her dress on for the first time (the last stitch had been sewn literally an hour beforehand), I was in total awe. Call me a doubting Thomas, but I couldn’t understand how a wedding dress could be whipped up in just a few days, and under intense pressure. Let alone the kind of wedding dress that Crystal had on her body. I’m telling you, if she doesn’t think she’s found a calling in life, she’s crazy. She may not have slept at all the week before her wedding, but all her hard work most definitely paid off. [Did I mention that Christmas, her birthday, and her wedding all fell within a one week period of time? And that as soon as they get back from the honeymoon they're moving to Nashville? Talk about a lot on your plate!]

This situation is just one small example of how Crystal and Luke’s wedding came together: with a lot of hard work and DIY dedication, a lot of help from friends and family, and a LOT of faith that everything would work out and that no matter what, they would be getting married when it was all said and done. I’ve known Crystal and Luke for a little while now, as they both worked at a Starbucks in Knoxville where a few of MY good friends have worked (I never barista-ed at that particular location, but still felt very much a part of the loop thanks to my friendship with Carrie and Shane and Emory and Eric.) In fact, that’s how Crystal and Luke met each other. (I’m telling you, I’m going to start calling that little green siren Mrs. Matchmaker!) Though I’ve never been really close friends with Crystal, I’ve always admired her effortless style, magnetic smile, and passion for adventure and creativity. She literally dabbles in a little bit of everything creatively, so it makes perfect sense that her wedding would be a reflection of that. From the custom invitations in hand-sewn fabric envelopes to the coffee package favors, she insisted on taking on projects herself. But she also had the help of a huge network of family and friends, from Luke’s best friend James, who brewed ALL of the beer served at the reception and cooked the rehearsal dinner from scratch, to her aunt, who baked the wedding cake from scratch (and it was one of the most delicious I’ve ever tasted!), to her friend Sarah, who photographed their engagement session and made a custom “guest book” that was a wood-burned art piece, to her friend Britta, who did a lot of coordinating and who sang during communion, to Carrie, who did her hair and makeup, to all sorts of ladies who showed up to put together bouquets and decorate the tables and ice the cupcakes and whatnot…. oh, I’m sure there are a million others I’m forgetting. The point is, it was very obvious that Crystal and Luke are the kind of people who love and give to others, and who were very much loved and given to on their wedding day. It was a beautiful thing to witness!

Now I’m not going to lie. When I first got to The Square Room Saturday afternoon, I was freaking out. As per usual for a January day in Tennessee, it was gloomy and dreary and rainy and dark outside. This ended up changing a lot of the plans we originally made for photos, but everyone did really well, and when it was all said and done, I was really happy with what we did get. Huge shout out to my awesome friend and second shooter Ethan, who was always ready to go into crisis management mode and talk me out of my mini nervous breakdowns, and who captured some of my favorite shots of the day. (I’m going to be writing a post for photographers in the days to come about how I handled a lot of the challenges that day, so stay tuned!) And you know what? I bet Crystal and Luke will never look at a rainy day the same way again, because one of the best days of their lives? Yep, it was a rainy day.

This is hands down one of my favorites. Here is Crystal’s dad seeing her for the first time that day…

… and then her seeing her mom for the first time.

I loved the reaction of the girls when Crystal put her dress on for the first time.

…. and Crystal’s own reaction. (I mean, up to this point she hadn’t had that “I’m a bride in my wedding dress!” moments… and I can’t imagine how proud she must have felt at having completed it with such skill… and on time!)

The First Look was moved indoors, but I’m so glad they chose to do this. It really allowed us to get some great shots of the two of them, and I just think this is one of the best moments of any wedding day:

Luckily, there was a covered patio outside, so we ventured out (taking LOTS of care not to dirty up Crystal’s gorgeous gown!).

Another fave.

I know she wasn’t trying to go for a particular “look,” but for some reason she reminded me so much of Katharine Ross as Elaine in The Graduate (which is a film that just so happens to have my favorite screen kiss of all time in it). Do you see it?

(Just wait til you see her in her gorgeous full-length veil!)

And yes, there were eleven… count ‘em, eleven… bridesmaids (and three flower girls!). Hands down the largest wedding party I’ve ever shot. But don’t you love the variety of jewel-toned dresses the girls are wearing?

My friend Carrie…. who just so happens to have major Old Hollywood meets pin-up girl beauty. Too many beautiful bridesmaids!

Now this is the face of a man who’s excited about marrying his wife!

Everyone sang one of my favorite hymns, “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

This one might be my very favorite shot of the day. At the end of the ceremony, the pastor asked family and friends to gather around Crystal and Luke to pray over them and their marriage. It was truly a beautiful thing to witness.

Another favorite part of the day? When all the guys (and Britta!) literally carried Crystal and Luke away, Indian-wedding-style. And the reactions of all the people milling around Market Square as they passed? Priceless.

Congratulations Crystal and Luke, and best of luck in your new life in Nashville!

To see more of their wedding, CLICK HERE to watch the slideshow, feat. The Black Keys’s “You’re the One.” (They both said that this is really the only band they can agree on, so here’s to unity!)