Summer break is over! And there couldn’t have been a better way to kick off this fall wedding season than Kyle and Mary’s gorgeous wedding at The Barn at Silverstone. From the perfect weather, to the gorgeous details, to the super fun bridal party and last but not least, getting to work with one of the sweetest couples. This wedding was a dream to document. Before I continue on about the specifics of the day, let me give you a little background about Mary and Kyle, and hang with me while I dive into a brief sports analogy…
Relationships are a lot like sports. All the good sports movies you see have one thing in common. The coach makes sure his team is well conditioned. Meaning, they run… a lot. “We might not be the best basketball players! But we will be in the best shape!” You can insert any sport here, there is a movie that has a line to that effect. If you have played sports, I’m sure you’ve had a coach that has yelled this at you at some point in your life too. But, why? Why is it so important in all those movies, and even in real life, to be in good shape, even if you aren’t the best at your sport? The truth of the matter is simple, if you are the best at a sport, or a game, or an event, but you can never finish the race… all that talent counts for nothing. Having the staying power to finish your event is the first necessity for being a winner. Once you know you can stick with it, then you can get all the fine details right that will make you a winner.
We all know of couples where their relationship started with a bang, and was a roaring volcano for about 2 weeks, and then was gone. Kyle and Mary are not that couple.
We all know a couple or two who have stayed together, but the fire has died, or at least the heat is so low it’s hard to tell how hot the fire ever was. Kyle and Mary are not that couple.
Kyle and Mary are the couple whose first date was… awkward, but they paid their dues. Out of their first 7 years as a couple, 5 of those years were long distance, but they continued to work at it. Those years of long distance were also during Covid, but that didn’t stop them. Their relationship wasn’t what you would call easy to make work, but those challenges were what helped them build that staying power, they did the conditioning drills to make sure they had the stamina when things were not the best. And even now, after 8 years together, the passion that they have for each other is evident to any outside observer. It is evident in things like how nervous they were to see each other for the first time on their wedding day, the look in their eyes when they did, from the tears and smiles, to the relaxing into each others arms during their first look… Even though it started with awkwardness, and passed through Covid, and long distance, they have been a couple through it all and are still, quite obviously, on fire for each other.
No, marriage is not a sprint, it isn’t half of a game. Marriage takes staying power, and now, Kyle and Mary, that your years in this relationship have built up that staying power, you get the fun part, you get to get good at the sport of marriage. You get to wake up every day and figure out how to make this day, the best day for your spouse. And you get to be surprised by what your spouse does today, to do the same for you. You have the conditioning, you’ve learned some of the skills, now you get to perfect them.
If your sports careers are anything to go by, you two are going to become masters at figuring out the greatest sport you will ever play for the rest of your lives, the sport of completing each other, making each other happy, and growing together.
After all the getting ready was done, Mary did a First Look with her dad, and while that was happening, Kyle and the guys were hanging out, playing cards and such.
And then it was time for Mary and Kyle’s First Look, which was seriously the sweetest thing. Many times this is a great way for the grooms to get some of those nerves out, but actually Mary said this was also super beneficial for her and she felt so much more relaxed after getting to see Kyle and have a private moment with just him before the ceremony. But you better believe the emotions still ran high when it came time for Mary to walk down the aisle to her groom, the First Look certainly didn’t take anything away from that. Anyway, after their First Look, we moved into portrait time, and since Kyle and Mary wanted to be able to enjoy cocktail hour with their guests, we did about 90% of all their portraits before the ceremony, including bride & groom, bridal party, and also almost all the family formals. I actually loved the way their timeline flowed and how much more relaxed the time was during cocktail hour because we weren’t trying to squeeze in all the portraits during that time, Kyle and Mary could just hang out and enjoy mingling with their friends and family before the reception events started.
I just adored the color palette of this wedding. Of course if you know me, you know I love dusty blue, hence my brand colors ;) And the flowers were just the perfect classy blend of fall colors, which looked amazing with the various blue hues.
Such a beautiful outdoor ceremony, overlooking the pond and willow trees.
This was the first wedding we’ve had the pleasure of photographing at The Barn at Silverstone, but I hope to be back for many more, as this place is just amazing! This historic property has been transformed into a beautiful, elegant wedding venue and was just the perfect spot for Kyle and Mary’s wedding!
After dinner and toasts, we snuck out with the newlyweds for some fun golden hour portraits, which I always recommend for every wedding day timeline!
After that, it was time to party. And let me tell you, this couple knows how to throw a party! I don’t usually include this many dancing pictures in my wedding blogs, but this party was so good, I had to share just a little glimpse of the fun!
Kyle and Mary, thank you so much for trusting us with documenting your special day, we feel so honored.
We wish you all the best. God Bless
Ceremony & Reception | The Barn at Silverstone
Dress Designer | Justin Alexander
Dress Store | In White
Bridesmaids Dresses | Dear Cleo
Groom and Groomsmen Attire | Tuxedo by Sarno
Hair & Makeup | The Charlee , Hair by Liana G
Florist | Sharon Hess
DJ | DJ Mast
Catering | Serock Catering
Cake | The Master's Baker