I am so excited to share Krista and Zach’s Hillcrest Country Club wedding with you today! If you saw their engagement session, then you’ll probably remember their pup Cooper! While Cooper wasn’t able to celebrate in person with them, they made sure to honor him with a miniature porcelain Cooper on the table!!

Getting Ready

One of my favorite parts of the wedding day happens at the very beginning, when I get to collect the bride’s cherished wedding day details and photograph them in a way that will help preserve these memories and heirlooms. Krista had a piece of her grandfather’s shirt sewn into her dress in the shape of a heart – her perfect “something blue.” She also had a ring from her passed grandmother that she wears outside of her engagement ring. Taking photos of these simple yet precious items is important to me because it becomes part of their family’s history to be passed down for generations.

Krista had other fun accessories like Journee Collection heels and Kate Spade Ked’s glitter sneakers for when she needed to kick off the heels and relax a little! It is always so fun to watch my couples read letters and open gifts from one another before the ceremony begins. Zach got Krista a wooden decor plaque that celebrated their wedding date and her new last name. Zach was surprised to find a new fancy watch from Krista! We took a few shots of Krista with her bridesmaids and parents, and then shew as whisked away for the ceremony!

The Ceremony

This is the most important part of the day!! While yes, so much planning goes into other aspects of the wedding, it truly is the ceremony that seals the deal. Krista and Zach made sure their ceremony was the highlight of the day and the start of a beautiful marriage. They asked Zach’s Pappy, Gary, to be their officiant and the one to lead them in their vows. They also had a beautiful sand ceremony to signify that they will never again be separated!

Portraits

After the ceremony was over, we got to hop onto golf carts to go further out on the course and get gorgeous portraits of the two of them and the bridal party! It was a beautiful day, but extremely windy. The timing for portraits was perfect. We got all their portraits done before the hurricane weather came in. Zach is a big golfer and often while Krista was studying to become a lawyer, she would read and study on the golf cart while he played. So we got a few of them doing just that in their wedding gear!  Krista had just finished her finals a few weeks before the wedding! Talk about stress!

Reception

Of course, as most couples are at the end of a long wedding day, everyone was super excited to party! The reception is the least stressful part of the day! You get to eat, drink and be merry with all your favorite people in the room! What’s not to love? Well….almost everyone. Cooper, their boston terrier, was there in spirit. He was brought up several times during speeches….everyone mentioned how Zach came second to Cooper! 🙂

The moment of truth always comes out during….the cake cutting!! I can never tell if my couples are going to be sweet or sly….Let’s just say, Krista & Zach were lethal during their cake exchanging! It was also Krista’s mom’s birthday. They didn’t want to forget about her!  They had a surprise cake for her and everyone sung happy birthday for her. They also danced a remembrance dance for all loved ones passed. I know this was special and emotional for Krista who missed her grandparents so much. There were so many wonderful moments throughout Krista and Zach’s special day, and I am so happy I was there to capture it all for them!