Wedding Venue: Rip Van Winkle Gardens
Catering: Bobby + Dot
Florist: Flowers By Rodney
Event Rentals: Event Rentals
Wedding Cake: Tammy Navarre
Groom’s Cake: Dot Breaux
Wedding Gown/Accessories: Maggie Sottero – A-Nets
Bridesmaids Dresses: Bill Levokoff
Groomsmen’s Apparel: Squires
Bride’s Hair/Makeup: Heather – Bleu Coiffure
Music – Kyle Monceaux
Before they “officially met” Lauren + Taylor had seen each other in passing. They were both studying nursing at McNeese when a mutual classmate/friend invited Lauren to tailgate for the football game. As they walked up, Taylor greeted Lauren with rolled up pants, bright blue and yellow shoes, and beer in hand. She was smitten from the start. 😉
A few days after the tailgate, Taylor invited Lauren to a small hole in the wall hangout where they sat and talked for hours about everything under the sun. From that moment, they knew they had found their one.
Lauren + Taylor love the outdoors….so their Rip Van Winkle wedding was the perfect venue! They celebrated amongst their closest friends and family members in the natural beautiful of the outdoors.
Their purple, silver, and ivory color palette was spread throughout the decor and their wedding was every bit of classic, romantic, and fun that they hoped it would be.
The day was GORGEOUS (I kid you not: GORGEOUS!)…and after having photographed several outdoor weddings this Spring, I am in love with the type of images outdoor weddings produce! I am excited to finally share some of my favorites from Lauren + Taylor’s special day.
Lauren + Taylor,
Thank you for allowing us to share in your day. We enjoyed documenting all the special moments that happened in between and are honored to have witnessed your wedding! 
Taylor’s only request regarding photography was that I integrate his fishing hook into their ring shot.
Lauren + her bridesmaids got dressed in the cottage at Rip Van Winkle making the wedding preparation nice and relaxed.
Lauren spent a lot of time planning and coordinating every aspect of her day from the colors to the decor. She did a beautiful job envisioning and executing her vision!
Because it was such a beautiful day while I was busy with Lauren + her bridesmaids, Amelia photographed some candid moments of Taylor + his groomsmen hanging together outdoors!
Lauren + Taylor opted to do a First Look! This year, close to 100% of my couples have chosen to do so. It creates a beautiful, intimate moment for the bride and groom to see each other for the first time on their wedding day.
This was Taylor’s huge smile when he turned around to see Lauren for the first time.
Another perk of doing a First Look, is that it gives us the opportunity to photograph the couple before their ceremony. The lighting was beautiful for Lauren + Taylor’s portraits…and I mean, how adorable are these two?!
Rip Van Winkle is a lovely venue. Everything from the lighting to the greenery really has me in awe. I was thankful that Lauren + Taylor were blessed with such wonderful weather!
AH! LOVE.
I believe these two images below may be my favorites!
Lauren, you are gorgeous, girl!
This was such a fun bridal party to work with! They definitely knew how to have fun!
The colors of the bridesmaids dresses really popped in the gardens!
…and the ceremony began:
As the ceremony started, the sun began to set.
Are you kidding me with this amazingness?!
They exchanged vows in front of those they loved most!
The ceremony was heartfelt and intimate.
Their first kiss as husband and wife!
The reception was held in the Bayless room next door. One of my absolute favorite details was Lauren’s fabulous cake!
Their first dance….
Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Taylor Hargrave!
