The piano man and the rennaisance girl…
When we hear the bride and groom are making some of the decorative details for the wedding we get curious how it’s going to turn out. It’s usually something like, “we made the table centerpieces,” or the boutonnieres and bouquets are homemade. For the most part it works and looks good, and the personal touch is really cool. But when we hear things like, “Carrie made her own wedding dress, and they made the cake too… oh, and Ben is basically being the DJ and picking out all the music, he just has a friend MC’ing the night… and he’s going to play and sing the first song of the reception….” We have absolutely no idea how things are going to turn out. While it definitely can be a good way to save on wedding costs, Ben and Carrie did so much themselves because they are awesome at just about everything. From the very beginning when I was photographing Carrie’s dress I thought for a second that I had misheard. I couldn’t believe that this dress was homemade. It was gorgeous. Sure enough, there was no last minute switch, this was a dress patterned and stitched (I’m not a seamstress these might not be the right words) by Carrie. The dress was just the first holy-cow-is-there-anything-these-two-can’t-do moment. Right after their first dance, Ben had a piano wheeled in and he played Elton John’s “your song” for Carrie. Not only are the words of the song a perfect choice, but this was also the first song he ever played for Carrie. Constantly reminding yourselves of the reasons that you fell in love is a wonderful way to spend a lifetime, and I just love the fact that Ben chose to start their life as a married couple by returning to one of their earliest dates. After all of this, the music that the couple had chosen started playing, and as soon as I heard some of the great tunes of Billy Joel, Elton John, and the like, I just knew that Ben had picked out the soundtrack, and if I hadn’t been holding a camera I probably would have been right out there on the dancefloor with everyone else.
They say that people who excel at any one thing find it much easier to excel at others. You learn how to put in the effort it takes to succeed, so you can copy that approach in other areas of your life. Well, Ben and Carrie, you have both shown that you excel in many areas. I have no doubt that being the best husband and wife you can be, will be the next area you two excel in.
Lastly, I can’t leave out a mention that Ben and Carrie got married at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Lancaster, and I think it’s safe to say we’re a big fan of weddings at this church! The building is big, bright, and beautiful, with gorgeous grounds all around the property. We were here 3 months ago to photograph Ben’s brother’s wedding, so when we heard that we were going to be photographing another Hagan family wedding here we were quite excited! Walking into this wedding was kind of like a family reunion of sorts, which just makes it all the more fun, getting to see so many of the same people at multiple weddings in the same year! Of course, each wedding has it’s own style and feel, and I love that Ben and Carrie’s vision came to life so beautifully, from her gorgeous homemade dress, to the beautiful fall colored flowers, to the musical touches that were so personal to them and so many other details that I’m not even mentioning. I loved every minute of this wedding, and I’m so grateful that we were able to be a part of this special day!
Ben and Carrie’s First Look was so sweet, and was followed by some fun portrait time before the ceremony.
After their First Dance, like I mentioned earlier, a piano was wheeled in and Ben surprised Carrie with a song. He started out with his own version of Bohemian Rhapsody, which was hilarious, and then quickly moved into Elton John’s “Your Song”, a throwback to the first time he performed the song for Carrie on one of their early dates. It was such a sweet moment, and I had no idea he had such musical talent! Of course, that wasn’t the only new talent of Ben’s that I learned about at their reception. Apparently, he also has a talent for performing the YMCA song, which you’ll see in a bit. But before all that, we decided to sneak outside with the newlyweds for a quick 10 minutes to capture some sunset portraits before it got dark. I say sunset, but it was actually super cloudy so there was no sunset to be seen. However, I actually love the way these turned out! Especially the way Carrie’s beautiful red hair seemed to pop against the stormy skies!
And then as it got dark, we headed back inside for toasts, special dances, and party time!
Ben and Carrie, it was such an honor to celebrate your day with you! It was such a beautiful day, and we had a blast! Best wishes on your new life together!!