(This is Part II of Amber and Daniel’s wedding at Honey Lake Plantation. To see Part I, click here.)

Daniel stood on the back porch of the gathering hall, positioned just around a corner of the building and pointedly looking straight ahead into the bright afternoon sunlight. I led Amber out through one of the ballroom’s many sets of double doors and guided her to the opposite side of the corner from where Daniel stood. Blinking back tears and shaking oh-so-slightly, she stared back at the doors she had just walked through, a smile tugging at her lips as she waited. Danny stepped up between the two of them and took Amber’s right hand and Daniel’s left. Then he joined their hands together and stepped back. From where I stood behind my camera, I could feel Amber’s heart swelling right out of her smile.

They didn’t want to see each other until their wedding ceremony, when Amber would appear through the doors at the end of the aisle. But this — this moment was incredible. This was the kind of emotional punch every couple should feel on their wedding day.The whole time they stood there holding hands, they didn’t breath a word. They just squeezed each others fingers and let Reilly pray for them.As much as even I wanted those heart-tugging moments to last all afternoon, we had a wedding to get to! The girls hopped into the Bentley. Amber ducked behind the tinted windows of her aunt Mina’s Escalade.And this, my friends, is why we had prayed so hard for God to steer the storms away. Amber and Daniel’s ceremony site was absolutely magical.When I asked Amber what was the one thing she wanted to remember about her wedding in five years’ time, she said it was the look on Daniel’s face as she came down the aisle. I don’t think either of them will forget that moment.Instead of a sand ceremony or unity candle, Amber and Daniel had a “lock ceremony” inspired by the locks pairs of lovers affix to bridges in Paris before tossing the key into the Seine. So Amber and Daniel created what will be a treasured piece of art in their home — and planned to throw the key into Honey Lake together after the wedding. Breathless yet? I was, even as I was shooting. After the post-ceremony congratulatory hugs and tears, Amber and Daniel’s family headed down by the lake for portraits. Now, I don’t usually share family portraits on the blog — but these are just too good to resist. They’re also a perfect example of why we love it when we can do family portraits outside, or in a bright, window-filled room: Natural light is our favorite! I think you’ll agree.See what I meant? Gorgeous light + gorgeous backdrop + gorgeous families = wow! (And did you notice how Amber and Daniel were holding hands in the first two photos? I loved it!)

And then came the fun of playing with the crazy bridal party. . . .Okay, so . . . I asked for wild and crazy. The girls got it. The guys? We could have used a little more abandon and excitement, fellas. But they all rocked out the next shot like they were born on the red carpet!
I’m not sure if I’ve taken the proper amount of time to gush — yes, gush — over Amber’s choice of color for her bridal party. She claims she can’t take credit for it, because she saw a Dessy ad featuring all those colors and decided to use it for her own wedding, but I think she totally deserves credit for actually deciding to put each bridesmaid in a different color! That’s something that definitely wasn’t happening in weddings a few years ago. I love the symmetry of matching bridesmaids, I love bridesmaids that all wear the same color in different styles (as my girls did at my own wedding, and in many of my friends’), but lately I’ve been loving bridesmaids in different hues. The pops of color were just so much fun — and so Amber-appropriate.
After our final shot with the bridal party, we waved goodbye to them as they hopped in the Bentley again and zipped over to the cocktail hour. Then it was just Amber and Daniel with Danny and me, and the gorgeous golden hour light. I didn’t want time to move forward at all; I just wanted to photograph the newlyweds looking gorgeous and giddy for the rest of the night. Here’s why.They laughed and flirted, and Daniel was incredibly chivalrous, brushing spiders off Amber’s skirt on no fewer than three occasions. Basically, they were adorable. Hey, do you two think you could get married every few months? You’re so good at it!
And then he was about to . . . yup, he might have just done something inappropriate. But you didn’t see it.
We’re usually big on completely candid photographs, so only a small percentage actually have the bride or groom looking into the camera. But Amber and Daniel were so comfortable and natural in front of the camera after their engagement session last December — and so, so happy to be married — that there wasn’t single pasted-on smile that afternoon. Just genuine love and excitement and daydreams about the fantastic dinner awaiting them at the reception. (Okay, those daydreams were just Daniel’s stomach growling).

Really, they looked like they just stepped out of a magazine. Insert happy sigh here.
There was still a reception to enjoy — and a major surprise about to happen.

Check out the wrap-up of Amber and Daniel’s wedding in Part III, here.

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