Cheyanne and Joey | A Wedding with a PERFECT Sunset

2019 has been an odd year for summer weddings. Almost every wedding I have covered this year has had some rain when August and September has usually been our driest months.

But the gods must have been shining down on Joey and Cheyanne as the weather was perfect and even blessed us with a gorgeous sunset. Luckily we snuck away from the party just in time to catch it.

Bill and I arrived and met and immediately stole the dress before Joey came. The arbor at the ceremony site complemented the dress perfectly.

Inside, Cheyanne was getting ready with her girls.

Once Joey arrived, Bill headed over and made sure to catch their shenanigans…which included a traditional passing around the liquor bottle.

Shortly after they were all dressed, the guests started arriving. The ceremony and the wedding was being held on private property out in east Vancouver. The property was surrounded by trees, which gave us great privacy and was large enough to have separate areas for the ceremony and reception.

Bill was able to sneak out and capture some of the details before the ceremony started.

Once the guests were seated, the ceremony started. Like most of the time when my associate photographer package is booked, I hang out in the front to capture everyone coming down the aisle and the Groom’s first look, while Bill is in the back getting everyone as they go down the aisle.

And Joey did not disappoint in the reaction to seeing his bride for the first time.

They also did one of my favorite ceremony traditions, planting a tree! Cheyanne tried to use the shovel as much as she could in her dress and heels, they did pretty well!

Also, Joey’s reflexes are ON POINT. This is the first time i’ve seen the best man drop the rings, but they never had a chance to touch the ground.

I like rolling right into the family formals after the ceremony. Most of the family members are there, and the faster we can get them all in, the more partying during the reception!

During this portrait session, I had to use my trick of waving around one of the groomsmen’s beers to get all of their attention and keep them focused. They can’t have their beer back until I get the pictures I need!

We refer to this as “Don’t drop the groom”

While they all went to grab their drinks and enjoy their taco bar, I stole their rings and went over to a pond area that was soaking in the natural light from the sun.

In summer, it seems like the light is only perfect for about half an hour and then BOOM, its night.

So shortly after this shot, Bill and I walked over to a field that was just past the trees that surrounded the property. We knew that we would only have about 15 minutes before it all left us. So we rushed back, grabbed the bride and groom, loaded up the golf cart, and headed over.

What may look like a plain field to some, us photographers can see something totally different, especially in light as gorgeous as this.

As the light faded, we headed back and got ready for the toasts.

With backyard style weddings, I love how laid back everyone is. They all seem to have a genuinely good time hanging out and celebrating the bride and groom.

Keeping it relaxed and low key, the only thing on the schedule was the cake cutting.

Well that was the only thing they had scheduled, but after they had changed into some more comfortable clothes and were enjoying everyone being there, they decided to have their dances.