Jake + McKenzie - Alaina Kristine

There aren’t enough words to describe Jake + McKenzie’s wedding day. Rain, wind, floodwaters, sunshine, and dancing were the focus of their August 21st wedding in Salem, Illinois. You may recognize these lovebirds from their engagement session that was on the blog a few months ago!

I arrived at A Fair Barn, where the bride and her maids were getting ready during heavy rain. That rain continued for over an hour. McKenzie was such a champ, so calm and crazy excited that her wedding day was finally here! We got right to work capturing her beautiful details (which included a classic invitation suite designed by the bride herself)! From the Kate Spade perfume to the elegant diamond earring, her details were so obviously thought out! I love when you can tell a bride values her photography by how she prepares her details for me! This sweet girl made it so clear that she valued us!

With rain, there are ALWAYS hiccups that throw a timeline off and Saturday was no different. McKenzie and her girls made the smart decision to get to the church before getting dressed… a great idea… only mom was left behind with the bridal gown because there weren’t enough cars that could get through floodwaters. This pushed portrait times back until after the ceremony and our bride finally was able to slip into her dress just 20 minutes before the ceremony began! WHAT A DAY!

It would be easy to dwell on the parts that didn’t go smoothly or according to plan. But I, an optimist to a fault, like to look at how the Lord orchestrates things perfectly. After the beautiful ceremony, the rain had subsided, the sun was peaking through thick clouds, and the portraits we were able to get because of it were magical. I’d say the luckiness of rain on their wedding day, worked quickly for Jake and McKenzie!

Please, enjoy their amazing day through the images below! Jake’s gift to his bride, a personalized locket Jake and McKenzie got to celebrate with ALL FOUR of their grandmothers.