Baton Rouge Backyard Wedding Photographer | Lacey and Donnie

This Baton Rouge backyard wedding was kinda all kinds of amazing, y’all. This is what weddings are all about – the people, the emotion, and the moments. The venue, and the decor, and everything else are the things that are happening around your wedding. I love backyard weddings because they’re always intimate affairs, and there’s more of a tendency to just slow down and enjoy your wedding day.

I loved Lacey and Donnie from the very first second that I met them. We talked over coffee about their history together, their jobs, what they meant to one another–and what they really wanted out of their wedding day.

Let me tell you the way to my heart, guys – it’s valuing memories over things. And I knew from our first conversation that these two *got it*.

They loved each other hard. They loved their friends and family hard. They loved life, and wanted nothing more than to marry each other while making memories that they could hold close and laugh over for years. The kind of memories that you cackle over in your nursing home, and make you tear up on your wedding anniversary.

That’s what I love giving my wedding photography clients – that moment, when they can look at a wedding photo, and feel again what they felt as they married their best friend.

Remember this? I loved you just this hard, from the first.

I don’t think thirty seconds went by all day, without these two laughing. They’re some of the most fun people I know, and it makes me so happy that I was able to show that through their wedding images.

These guys made their wedding day their own. Donnie wore his Army uniform. Lacey carried her grandmother’s pearls draped across her bouquet, and wore her mother’s wedding garter. Her dad, who is blind, wasn’t about to miss the chance to walk his girl down the aisle or dance with her at the reception. Lacey’s mother made both the wedding cake, and the military-themed groom’s cake. AND, there was a huge mound of cannolis, hand-made with love for them. (We *may* have partaken of a few!*)

They ate until they couldn’t anymore, they danced until they all but dropped, and they laughed until their sides hurt.

And THAT is how you “wedding”.

Here are a few of my very favorite memories of the day. <3

The last-minute nervous ring-twirl. Someone should patent it, or something.

This image cracks me up. Lacey gifted Donnie with a photo book, and to say he was surprised is an understatement!

I love the little significant details on a wedding day, and capturing my clients interacting with them. To me, this image is so much more meaningful than just staging a “detail” photo! You can feel the nervous-excitement in it. 🙂

This image got me, man. I love how Lacey is looking at her dad, who is blind – and still walked her down the aisle! <3

They were totally supposed to be praying reverently. #Shh

I love this image of these two peeking out at all their friends and family, waiting for them to be announced as husband and wife!

I think this first dance sums up these guys’ personalities perfectly.

Thanks to my awesome second shooter, Scarlet, for this lovely (and oh-so-flattering) behind the scenes photos of me in action! This shows what the scene really looked like before I clicked the shutter button!

Okay, but seriously – how cute are these cake toppers?! Military man groom and nurse bride. I die.

Oh, Lacey – I love you. Your life priorities are my life priorities.

Never gonna get tired of watching this wild crew dance.

#CakeCakeCake – Lacey is a girl after my own heart.

I’m not crying, you’re crying.

Wait, that’s not how you limbo. *I’ll* show you how to limbo!

I feel like you can *hear* the Journey song in this image.

Look, I get cool, pretty images of sparklers…

…and then I get these, which will live in infamy. I could laugh at this chick’s facial expressions all day.

We may or may not have recreated that scene from Dirty Dancing. #WeddingMemories

Oh, hey – did you recently get engaged? Are you looking for someone to document YOUR wedding day in a kick-ass manner? Drop me a line, and we can chat about all of the things! <3