Luke & Brittany’s Coral Grinnell Country Club Wedding

Luke & Brittany have QUITE a story! And I love it. I love that he’s a city guy, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and totally excited about the novelty of getting married in small town Iowa. Seriously, Luke was so pumped about having some country photos with barns, I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone THAT excited! And I love that his big city roots weren’t too much for Brittany, who grew up in north central Iowa. How on earth did they meet, you ask? At biomedical ethics conference. Clearly a romantic setting! Lol! But really, they did have a lot in common despite their distance and very different childhoods, and the best part is that they kept in touch – with hand-written letters! After being long distance a while, decided to be “more than friends”, and a whirlwind NYC engagement complete with a viewing of Les Mis and a Brooklyn Bridge proposal, and some wedding planning in between, they headed back to Iowa and tied the knot here in Grinnell. It was the perfect spring day for their coral colored wedding at the Grinnell Country Club, and I could not have been more honored to capture their day. Congrats Luke & Brittany – #MrGattaMrs at last!

Brittany’s elegant lace dress was the perfect blend of class, prep, and country – all of the things befitting her impeccable style. I’m grateful for the gorgeous Marsh House B&B serving as our getting ready location. Such beautiful light and surroundings!

Luke’s sister, Mary, made these matching earrings for all the girls to wear!

I am in LOVE with Brittany’s engagement ring. So classy – nice choice, Luke!

While we were getting ready, someone off handedly mentioned Brittany’s impeccable posture and perfect profile. After looking through all of these, I have to agree!

My favorite room at the Marsh House has this huge oak mirrored dresser – it’s perfect for getting ready!

Loooooooooooooots of buttons. One tip from experience – bring a crochet hook! It’s always tricky to do buttons with freshly manicured nails

I love this moment between Brittany and her mom as we were just about to leave for the church.

Meanwhile, Luke and the guys….they were a fun bunch 🙂

Brittany, you were stunning!

Brittany told me she was obsessed with the color coral – I loved it!

This sweet flower girl was such a doll :

Brittany & Luke decided to be a bit more traditional and wait to see each other when she walked down the aisle. So it was fun to see all of the excitement and anticipation in Luke’s eyes.

There’s a story behind this shot, but I’m not sure what that story might be. Either way, it was on their “list” 🙂

Wedding time

St. Mary’s is one of my favorite churches in Grinnell for ceremonies – so regal and beautiful!

Brittany & Luke were both raised in Catholic families, so the Mass celebration was quite important to them, as well as many of the friends and family gathered there.

Right after their ceremony, we had to immediately squeeze in some bridal party shots because one of their groomsmen was leaving in 15 minutes to catch a flight home! So we scrambled to grab a few group shots real quick before it began to drizzle.

I was blessed with an HOUR of bride and groom portraits with Brittany and Luke – totally spoiled as a photographer, but it was the BEST!

A little slice of small town Iowa for Luke 🙂

Ok, so I laughed SO hard when Luke & his groomsmen pulled out these cowboy hats. Mostly because barely anyone in Iowa wears them! You have to go about 8 hours west of here before you see ranchers in Nebraska and Wyoming sporting a cowboy hat. I wish I had a John Deere hat for him 🙂 But I humored Luke & Brittany and we did a few farm photos out at the Grinnell Heritage Farm. I think he pulled off the look well!

Just some curious goats taking in the show.

These next 2 might be my favorites from the day.

After some time in town and on the farm, we went out to the Grinnell Country Club, where their reception was being held. The grounds there are so lovely!