The Thursday morning prior to her wedding, bride-to-be Lindsey, sat in her kitchen sipping coffee and checking the weather. The forecast on her phone showed no rain in the Quad City area. She immediately called me to tell me – not to worry about a backup plan for inclement weather. She wouldn’t be needing it now, and her dream of capturing stunning images outside was about to become a reality.
It rained steadily ALL morning on the day of the wedding. Quiet reassurance was offered to the bride and groom… they still had time, right? With some quick thinking, we decided to do their first look on the sky bar of the hotel that had a cover to still give them the chance to be outside, and make our way to the ceremony location in hopes it would stop raining upon arrival.
The rain slowed to a drizzle, and we jumped at the chance of light rain, in fear of not being able to get ANY images outside. The grass was a giant puddle of mud, Lindsey and Eric wanted outdoor pictures and made the best of it. During pictures they spun, he picked her up, they fell, and got back up and despite a muddy dress -They laughed, and laughed some more. But the best part is they even got to share a few tender moments. And a great memory of me cleaning her dress.
Thankfully the ceremony was performed in a warm, dry church, you could hear the rain pounding above us on the roof during the vows, however by the time they kissed and said “I do” the crowd roared, and the forecast indicated it wasn’t going to rain until 6pm!!! We had two hours for a creative session!! So, we got everyone loaded onto the party bus, cranked the sound system, and with drinks in hand the wedding party set out on an epic journey in search of the most stunning wedding photos we could capture!
The soaking wet ground, a road closure near Vanderveer Park, and running out of time with the party bus didn’t cause us to miss a beat. Rather than compromise on one of the best photo locations the Quad Cities has to offer, we had the bride & groom hop off of the party bus and into our vehicles to get them over to Schwiebert Park on the riverfront. While the rest of the wedding party headed to Davenport Country Club for cocktail hour, the Lauren Ashley Studios creative team produced stunning sunset images with near-perfect lighting conditions for these slightly drenched, yet heartwarmingly romantic moments.
Surrounded by family and friends, and making the most of each break in the weather, these two danced in the mud, in the rain, and made sweet spring lemonade out of the lemons the sky poured out over their special occasion. They are the epitome of what it means to embrace the day, and the meaning behind it.
Here’s how it played out…
~Lauren Ashley
Makeup: Brittany Jacobs
Hotel : Holiday Inn 4215 Elmore Ave. Davenport 52806
Creative Session: Vanderveer Conservatory
Church: St John Vianney Church
Venue: Davenport Country Club
Florist: Clazzy Designs QCA
Dress: Brides by Jessa
