Nicole and Nick | Wedding @ Johnson Tropical Gardens, Highland IL

Mother Nature has sure given us a run for our money these last few weddings and that was certainly the case with Nick and Nicole. The ominous cloud cover and the threat of rain in the morning hours made us fearful we wouldn’t get any outdoor pictures accomplished at all but as luck would have it we got two small windows of time to get in some outdoor portraits. Unfortunately Nick and Nicole had to move their wedding ceremony to a dry location but the entire day was still full of special memories, laughter, and love. We started the morning at a local salon in Highland IL where we enjoyed talking with Nicole’s awesome mom and bridesmaids as Nicole had an absolute stunning and classic bridal look created. We loved how laid back and happy she was for the entire day even with the threat of bad weather, nothing was going to get this girl down and we LOVE that about her! Although their original ceremony location, Johnson’s Tropical Gardens resulted in a rain out we still had some picture opportunities out there on their absolutely stunning grounds (seriously, I wish my yard looked like that). I was a little crushed we couldn’t explore all of the endless picture opportunities out there but I was thankful we got in outdoor photos at all that day as I know some of my other photographer friends in the Effingham area were unable to get any (so we’ll count ourselves fortunate). I hope that we can some day in the future shoot a wedding out there as it was just so unique and beautiful! We gathered at the KC Hall in Highland for the intimate ceremony where I must say I was so incredibly impressed with Nick and Nicole’s officiant. He seemed beloved by all and just so personable and friendly. Following the ceremony the clouds lifted with enough time for us to sneak in a short group of outdoor photos and enjoy a trolley ride. At the reception we enjoyed the professional and friendly services of DJ Brad (from Even Flow DJ Service) and everything from the food to the reception events were completely perfect. We love working with outgoing professionals who love what they do and work well with other vendors! We throw a special shout out to Nicole’s dad who ROCKED their first dance together and a general shout out to the accommodating family and bridal party members that were so flexible and patient with all of the photo craziness of the day. We can’t wait to share the video trailer of their big day with you in the coming weeks, Josh and Doug with Key-Films were able to get some great footage. We were also joined by Kayla from Kayla Elizabeth Photography who continues to make me so thankful she’s around to capture killer stuff and help me out. Thankfully she hasn’t figured out we’re crazy yet 😉 I have the worlds best crew, no double about it. Congrats Nick and Nicole we hope you are enjoying a rain free honeymoon!

-Kate and Doug