When I met with Shelby and Ben the week leading up to their country wedding, the forecast for their big day was abysmal: 100% chance of rain, and 40 degrees. It sounded like it would be a miserable day for their country wedding and hopes of going out to the family barn, so we talked about alternate options – patios and walkways with overhangs, interior locations, and using space at the fairgrounds (where their reception would be held). We discussed using umbrellas and all sorts of other ways to achieve some beautiful outdoor photos, and Shelby remained optimistic, even with the horrible weather outlook.
Fast forward to Saturday, and nothing had changed . We woke to a yucky cold and gray day, and Shelby was STILL optimistic and willing to tough it out! To me, this said SO much about her, and about her relationship with Ben. No matter what, they weren’t going to let something like pouring rain and gray skies get them down on their wedding day! Typically I’m all about making it work, and I’ll confess that even I wasn’t enthusiastic about the weather, but after chatting with her, Shelby convinced me! And truthfully, it really wasn’t all that bad! I’m so glad we went outside for bridal party and couples photos, and I owe a huge thank you to the lovely bridesmaids – they had goosebumps and were shivering! It was COLD! But they toughed it out and didn’t complain once. That’s when you know you’ve surrounded yourself with good friends 🙂
Shelby & Ben – congrats on your marriage, and thanks for never once giving up on having the wonderful day that you always dreamed of. It was perfect in every way, even if the weather wasn’t!
I started the day photographing her details at Grinnell Christian Church.
Cowboy boots for all!
So I was maybe a tad obsessed with her rings and this ring box 🙂
Shelby, you were stunning!
I loved their first look – so sweet!
Off we went to conquer the great outdoors! Lol!
I adored the plaid shirts she got for everyone! So cute!
Ben and the guys!
Hunting hats for everyone. Â All the guys were totally perplexed when I asked them to stand casually, wondering what I was doing. Â I’ve nicknamed the scattered and casual groomsmen shot “the boy band shot.” Â I think I got plenty of eye rolls from this crowd!
We may have had about 10 outtakes trying to get this one serious shot. Lol!
After a few outside photos, I wanted to to do a few more inside the horse stalls. That may sound like an odd location, but typically when you have a cloudy day and you stand right at the opening of a building, the light bounces off the floor and makes for a pretty light for photos – and it worked just as I had planned! The only problem? There was some, ahem….horse droppings! The bridal party didn’t seem to know what to do at first, but Shelby, ever the optimistic bride (and a vet tech at that!), didn’t think twice and just kicked it out of the way using her boots!!! It was kind of too good to be true. Ben just sorta shrugged after it happened – Lol!
Love these two!
Shelby, you are gorgeous!
Some of my favorites!
We headed back to the church just in time for guests to start arriving for their ceremony. These 3 cuties stole the show!
Dad was ready with their reward 😉
Hugs from his mom 🙂
Congrats to Ben & Shelby! Thank you so much for allowing me to be part of your special day.
