A Fellow Mid-Century Loving Friend and a Classy Indianapolis Wedding

A few months back I got an email from my friend Gail Werner asking if I’d be interested in coming up to Indiana to second shoot a wedding with her. I’ll admit, I squealed a little when I read it, because a) Gail has the most impeccable taste of anyone I know (especially when it comes to books, music, and culture in general- seriously, go read her blog if you don’t believe me) b) up to this point, we had only chatted back and forth via email after we discovered how much we had in common and c) I was kind of in shock, considering how talented she is and how many states separate us, that she wanted ME to come shoot with her. Talk about a huge honor!

I admit I was a little nervous on the plane ride up, because I always worry that people are going to meet me in person and I’m going to be a huge letdown from what they know of me online. (It’s funny how the Internet can do that- make people seem larger than life or just… different.) But when I walked out and saw Gail wearing the exact same yellow Target skinny belt as me, I breathed a sigh of relief and just knew that we would be as good of friends in person as we were online.

That weekend in November was so much fun. I got to stay at Gail and her husband Nick’s mid-century rancher which could not have possibly been more my style. (If there’s one thing we both love- to the point of obsession- it’s mid-century design.) It was only fitting that Nick is a dead ringer for Don Draper (that is, if Don Draper were the outdoorsy type), which makes gorgeous blonde Gail look like Betty by default. Their Halloween costumes from a couple of years ago are proof:

Are you dying right now? ‘Cause I am. But anyway, needless to say, I loved the Werners. They also have a Midwestern spirit about them that I think is so awesome. Gail says “gal” like I say “y’all” and it’s adorable. So between lots of girl talk, bonding over photography stuff, watching Emma Stone on SNL while downloading cards from the wedding, and eating their famous Belgian waffles on Sunday morning before heading to the airport, it was a pretty fantastic time.

Not to mention the wedding itself! The bride and groom, Laurie and Joe, were stunningly beautiful on the inside and out, and their classic wedding was a blast to be apart of. As much as I adore Southern weddings, I also love getting to see how people do them differently north of the Mason-Dixon line. For one, I’ve found that northerners know how to par-tay. They have gorgeous, traditional ceremonies in big old churches and then have insanely fun receptions that last looong into the night, with people of all ages packing the dance floor the whole time. You can’t help but be happy!

But enough of my rambles… on to the pretty!

A big huge thanks to Gail (and Nick!) for being such amazing hosts and great new friends, and to Laurie and Joe for treating me like an old friend despite the fact that I was just a girl from Alabama they met right before they got married. It was an incredible experience!