Wendi and John’s Family and Friend Filled Wedding….That Included Penguins and Batman.

I know it sounds like a weird combination, but once you meet these two, it makes perfect sense.

Wendi and John met me at the Clark County Wedding Expo last year, and we just clicked. It may have been the T-Rex in my booth or just my social awkwardness.

In any case, they planned an August wedding in their friend’s backyard. Not just any plain backyard, we have towering trees and a fantastic suspension bridge that the owner built over the creek that meandered through the property.

Instead of the typical engagement session that I include in all of my wedding packages, they opted for me to come to the rehearsal and take some candids of their family.

The next day, my team arrived to start capturing the day. This is where Batman and the penguins came into play. Not the classic Batman man villain Penguin, but the animal. Wendi likes them just a little bit. And Batman? That was definitely John’s thing.

Wendi was getting ready in the master suite with her bridesmaids and mom…and having a good time doing so. She was all too excited to be wearing her Wifey and Bride robe, I don’t think she wanted to change.

And of course, the boys take about 5 minutes to get ready, so my associate Courtney took them outside to have some fun with their group shots.

We kept John outside and positioned him on the bridge, we thought it would be perfect for the first look.

I really do like first looks. When I first started in wedding photography, I was sort of against them, wanting to keep them traditional with the first look during the ceremony. But over the years, I have seen how much stress it relieves in both of them. Kicking the nerves down a notch before the big moments in the ceremony. It also gives you and your significant other a little quiet time together before more of the day whirlwinds away.

For some more time just to themselves, we took them to the side for some portraits, and gift exchange. Wendi had given John his Batman cufflinks while they were both getting ready.

And John gave Wendi 1 bag of an item that I will not mention (I will say it was Portland Timbers themed) AND custom cards that feature them both. He used these as wedding favors, but also a surprise to her.

This is also the time that we got the wedding parties and family involved. They had built in plenty of time in their schedule to get as many portraits as we could do before the ceremony. That meant more party time for everyone!

John, ever the fun lover, decided to have a little fun during the portraits and toss a few pinecones at Wendi when she was being lifted. One landed perfectly, and I got a nice little smirk from John as he was running away.

About half an hour before the ceremony, we got everyone tucked away as the guests arrived for the ceremony.

The Groomsmen waited for the Bridesmaids to cross the bridge and walk them all down the aisle as they all waited for Wendi and her Father to come down.

Their ceremony was very personalized to them, including a candle lighting ceremony and communion.

After the ceremony, we took a short break and got the rest of the family together!

Then, it was off to the party! Well, not off, as this property had plenty of room to host the party with a live band, Cedars & Crows, and some dancing!

The light was fading fast, so I put up my lights and got ready for the rest of the reception. There was cake in John’s face for the cake cutting, some great toasts, and the bouquet and garter toss.

The bank kept playing and everyone was having a good time. This is the time of the night that I like to sneak the bride and groom away from the business and get a few more portraits. More time for them together, and we get to create some unique shots.

When things wound down, we passed out the sparklers and lined everyone up. And yes, I will admit we do make you play around under the sparklers for a bit to make sure we get you all of the magical shots that you want. I don’t think these two minded that at all.