What a great weekend!
I had met with William and Ciara on more than one occasion as we prepared for what was to be the very first wedding held at the brand new Flint Hills Discovery Center, in Manhattan Kansas. Their personalities were both so fun and energetic, and I couldn't wait for today to arrive as we had a lot of "twists" incorporated into their celebration.
As the day arrived, we began by taking a dose of what mother nature often times dishes out to us in the Midwest: - Kansas wind and the impending threat of rain. As we began setting up the sound system for the ceremony, the wedding party arrived for an expedited photo session with Heather and her husband from "Spitting Images Photography" before guests began arriving. William had not yet seen Ciara in her dress, and in the interest of time, they chose to do a "reveal" prior to the ceremony.
As incredible as this facility looked both inside and out, it was all overshadowed by this absolutely beautiful bride as she approached William, with his back turned, who had not yet seen her. Shortly after the pre wedding photos concluded, guests began arriving, and the skies began to look even more ominous. We stuck it out, and the ceremony went off as planned, although we had to eliminate the microphones due to the wind. The ceremony matched William & Ciara's personalities perfectly. They had written their own vows, and in those moments, they injected laughter, love and a few tears. After a fun "high-five" followed by a passionate kiss, these two officially began the rest of their lives together.
I had met with William and Ciara on more than one occasion as we prepared for what was to be the very first wedding held at the brand new Flint Hills Discovery Center, in Manhattan Kansas. Their personalities were both so fun and energetic, and I couldn't wait for today to arrive as we had a lot of "twists" incorporated into their celebration.
As the day arrived, we began by taking a dose of what mother nature often times dishes out to us in the Midwest: - Kansas wind and the impending threat of rain. As we began setting up the sound system for the ceremony, the wedding party arrived for an expedited photo session with Heather and her husband from "Spitting Images Photography" before guests began arriving. William had not yet seen Ciara in her dress, and in the interest of time, they chose to do a "reveal" prior to the ceremony.
As incredible as this facility looked both inside and out, it was all overshadowed by this absolutely beautiful bride as she approached William, with his back turned, who had not yet seen her. Shortly after the pre wedding photos concluded, guests began arriving, and the skies began to look even more ominous. We stuck it out, and the ceremony went off as planned, although we had to eliminate the microphones due to the wind. The ceremony matched William & Ciara's personalities perfectly. They had written their own vows, and in those moments, they injected laughter, love and a few tears. After a fun "high-five" followed by a passionate kiss, these two officially began the rest of their lives together.
But first, it's time to celebrate!
The guests had arrived and the stage was set. It was time for the grand entrance. This facility has a very unique layout, including a 3 story open foyer/atrium with railing on both upper floors and we had chosen to use every aspect of that to our advantage as we introduced the wedding party into the room.
As the guests gathered on the ground floor, we introduced the wedding party in fun fashion, all appearing over the rail from different floors before making their way downstairs. The guests attention was all turned to the upper floors as they anxiously awaited the arrival of William and Ciara, but there was a twist. As the chorus of "Love in an Elevator" rang out, the distinct "ding" of the elevator cued the guests to turn around to find William & Ciara enter the celebration in unique fashion.
William & Ciara proceeded to the cake table to cut their cake. Another personal element was injected into the cake cutting. William proudly serves our country in the Army, rather than cut their cake with the standard cake knife, it was done with his sword! Not many cake cutting photos will have that element look back on!
Onto the toasts: After a fun toast from one of the groomsman, one of William's family members delivered a very heartfelt toast that William thought to be the final toast. However, there was one more. You see, one of William's groomsman wasn't able to be a part of the celebration today, his brother Joey. The two of them are very close, but Joey too serves our country and was deployed to the other side of the world. Without William knowing, we had arranged for Joey to be able to be a part of this once in a lifetime occasion with his brother. After a short introduction, Joey was patched into our sound system, and delivered a live toast to his brother and his new bride, all the way from southeast Asia.
The entire day captured William & Ciara's personalities and was filled with fun, laughter and dancing. Ciara & William, I wish you both the best as you begin this journey in your lives together, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for you. Thank you both for trusting me with one of the most important days in your lives together, and I was truly honored to be a part of such a fun and special celebration!
As the guests gathered on the ground floor, we introduced the wedding party in fun fashion, all appearing over the rail from different floors before making their way downstairs. The guests attention was all turned to the upper floors as they anxiously awaited the arrival of William and Ciara, but there was a twist. As the chorus of "Love in an Elevator" rang out, the distinct "ding" of the elevator cued the guests to turn around to find William & Ciara enter the celebration in unique fashion.
William & Ciara proceeded to the cake table to cut their cake. Another personal element was injected into the cake cutting. William proudly serves our country in the Army, rather than cut their cake with the standard cake knife, it was done with his sword! Not many cake cutting photos will have that element look back on!
Onto the toasts: After a fun toast from one of the groomsman, one of William's family members delivered a very heartfelt toast that William thought to be the final toast. However, there was one more. You see, one of William's groomsman wasn't able to be a part of the celebration today, his brother Joey. The two of them are very close, but Joey too serves our country and was deployed to the other side of the world. Without William knowing, we had arranged for Joey to be able to be a part of this once in a lifetime occasion with his brother. After a short introduction, Joey was patched into our sound system, and delivered a live toast to his brother and his new bride, all the way from southeast Asia.
The entire day captured William & Ciara's personalities and was filled with fun, laughter and dancing. Ciara & William, I wish you both the best as you begin this journey in your lives together, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for you. Thank you both for trusting me with one of the most important days in your lives together, and I was truly honored to be a part of such a fun and special celebration!
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