Claxton Farm Wedding: Lindsay + Ryan

I can still remember photographing my very first wedding. I showed up in wedges (my first mistake)…and have continued to learn so many lessons over the years. On Thursday, June 27, I was invited to photograph my 100th wedding in the lovely city of Weaverville, North Carolina.

Lindsay + Ryan originally met in August of 2003, their first semester at UL in the crit pit of Architecture & Design Studio 101 (a place I’m also all too familiar with). They were good friends for 3 and a half years before they offically began dating in 2007. Their personalities are so complimentary and what began as a friendship has surely led them to being best of friends…madly in love.

After Ryan proposed, they allowed their vision of the wedding to truly come to life. They’ve always planned on getting married outdoors with God’s beautiful backdrop for their special day…and they used nature to inspire their decor. They love the weathered, mountain look so Claxton Farm truly was an awesome location for them.

Their wedding could be described as Rustic and Intimate…and Amelia and I are both TRULY thankful to have been flown to photograph their wedding day.

I am SOOO excited….to finally blog this lovely North Carolina wedding.

And a special thank you to all the vendors who helped to make this day possible:

Event Planning/Catering: M7 Event Solutions
Officiant: Rev. Dr. C. Fred Werhan
Venue: Claxton Farm
Florals: Sweet Earth Flower Farm
Wedding Cake: City Bakery
Wedding Gown: Maggie Sottero from A-Net’s Bridal
Groom’s Apparal: Perry Ellis (Crimini 3 piece suit)
Bride’s Hair + Makeup: L’eau de Vie Salon

Ryan + Lindsay exchanged letters before their First Look. This is such a great idea for couples looking to have yet another special moment on their wedding. I’m used to seeing Lindsay with the biggest smile on her face…it was very cool to see her reaction to Ryan’s sweet letter.

Lindsay gifted Ryan with a compass…to always remind him of where “home” is. And Ryan gifted Lindsay with a sweet and beautiful engraved locket…with their photo inside.

While I was photographing the getting ready with Lindsay, Amelia hopped over to Ryan’s room to photograph Ryan’s getting ready as well.

Welcome to Claxton Farm!

The florals for Ryan + Lindsay’s wedding were INCREDIBLE.

Ryan + Lindsay opted to do a First Look for their wedding.

Literally….every piece of this property was gorgeous!

…Ryan’s face when he saw Lindsay for the first time on their wedding day.

We spent some time shooting on the grounds before their ceremony.

Lindsay + Ryan’s details were the perfect fit for their venue.

This is my favorite image from their wedding day!

It started raining just before their wedding. They were nervous that the ceremony was going to be moved under the covered area, but just before the ceremony, the rain stopped and they moved the chairs into the field!

The location was surrounded on 360 degrees by mountain views.

When the ceremony began, the tears began to fall.

Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Rivett!

Lindsay requested of group photo of everyone attending the wedding…I thought this was an awesome idea since their closest friends and family came to North Carolina to share in their day.

….and the llama (aka: chocolate chip) was adorbs.

After the ceremony, the guests spent a bit of time playing farm games outdoors.

Lindsay walked down the aisle to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” How fitting that a rainbow appeared just after the ceremony.

The reception was held inside the barn. They pulled up the garage doors…and allowed the mountains to be the backdrop.

…Ryan + Lindsay ringing the dinner bell!

Their first dance was so lovely….and after dinner, they had marshmallows to share over fire.

Check OUT this view!

So romantic:

Congratulations you two!!!