J3Designs Photography: Blog

Matthew & Grace {Fall Wedding Inspo}-The Eden

(J3Designs Photography) — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 04:15:04 GMT

If there's one thing Indiana does well, it's fall foliage and if there's one place to soak up the magic of the Midwest for wedding photos it's at The Eden!

I love the sprawling property far away from the city bustle and the sunset photos are always stellar. It's a great choice of wedding venue for any couple wishing to have a celebration in the country. It's also a fantastic choice for the couples who want to have as many aspects to their wedding handled by one vendor as possible. At The Eden not only do they offer the venue but also catering, florals and full bar service. With an onsite bridal suite and seating for well over 300 guests, it's the perfect venue for weddings that have a large guestlist.

Matthew & Grace tied the knot in the fall and as is common with Indiana weather, mother nature was not big on cooperation that day. But, it's the job of a wedding photographer worth their salt, to be able to create amazing art no matter the circumstances and thanks in part to the gorgeous (and HUGE) arched windows inside the venue, many of my favorite images from the day were created in front of one window with some amazing backlight.

Grace chose a blush tone wedding color palette which complimented the light aesthetics of the venue but also popped against the fall foliage. But the real show stopper was Grace's wedding gown. The simple design with a high slit, button back and most importantly...POCKETS! Grace also chose to add a removable lace cape which she wore during the ceremony for some added flare. Her whole glam was exquisite. Based on Matthew's reaction during their first look- I think it's safe to say, he agreed.

For those couples planning a wedding and reception at the same venue, I highly recommend considering a First Look with each other. A quick insight into wedding timelines- following the ceremony family photos might take, (for me at least) up to thirty minutes; I tend to be pretty efficient with streamlining family photos but for the sake of buffer time, I always account for 30 minutes. If the couple hasn't done a first look, wedding party and portraits of the newlyweds still need done, and on the quick side I typically like to have a minimum of an hour. This means the wedding guests are waiting an hour and a half after the conclusion of the ceremony before the wedding party is introduced, and by the time the invitation to dinner happens it's closer to an hour and forty five minutes. Bonus: you get the nervous jitters out of the way before the ceremony, too!

Choosing to do a first look also allows for a more relaxed itinerary for the day and ample time for all the wedding photos you've been dreaming of since you created your first wedding Pinterest board :)

I am personally, generally a "the more bling the better" kind of girl. However, Grace's wedding dress was absolutely show stopping. The slit, the buttons, the pockets!

I have so many pieces of advice for couples planning their wedding but my biggest one is to choose a great vendor team and specifically a wedding photographer, DJ and videographer team who can work well together. Your wedding photos are one of a few things that you will keep forever to remember your wedding day, but your reception entertainment is who creates the dance floor vibe for those moments to happen! Matt and Grace hired Live the Night Entertainment, Brett & Eric are the best emcees and entertainers especially if you're wanting a great show and a packed dance floor. When I talk about fluidity of working together, we work seamlessly together and I'd like to think all of our weddings together reflect that. If you're in the marketing for a wedding DJ in the greater Fort Wayne area, these guys deserve all the high fives and gold stars :) I mean, where else can it look like you're dancing on a cloud for your first dance?

Matthew and Grace, they fell in love in high school and their love story is just the sweetest. Wishing a million moments of joy in your happily ever after!

Haley & Jordan {Kruse Plaza}

(J3Designs Photography) — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 16:08:43 GMT

Haley and Jordan hosted a perfect-for-them outdoor wedding at the beautiful and newly renovated Kruse Plaza . Every detail truly depicted not only their individual personalities but also their love story. I loved that their wedding inspo was centered around a teal ombre color palette and all the reception details dripped with sophisticated class.

I always encourage brides especially to minimize the amount of travel they have to do on a wedding day, so the bridal suite at Kruse was the perfect setting for Haley and all her bridesmaids to get ready for the big day. Their glam squad, Glamour To Go was also able to be onsite for hair and makeup which made the morning of the wedding that much more relaxed!

One of the unique aspects to their wedding day was Jordan's first look with his mom. In all my years of photographing weddings I think this may be one of the few if not only times the groom has had a first look with his mom and I insist this must happen for all future weddings henceforth.

The first looks didn't stop there! Jordan and Haley wanted to spend as much of their wedding day together as possible and also keep the time line of the day flowing smoothly because their ceremony and reception were at the same location. We chose to have their first look inside Kruse Plaza with the beautiful antique cars against the wood palette wall for a unique backdrop. How sweet are they?

After Haley and Jordan were able to spend a few minutes soaking up the fact they'd be getting married in a few short hours, they along with their wedding party went to the square in Auburn, Indiana for wedding party photos. With such a large bridal party it was important to find locations that allowed for varying heights but Auburn also offered beautiful backdrops and unique textures for their photos. Their wedding party is legit one of the most fun and animated group of people I've photographed in all my years a wedding photographer.

Swag. For. Days.

Haley and Jordan have an easy kind of life. They met in middle school and were friends throughout that time. It wasn't until they both had graduated college that their love story really became the forever kind. Though, in my opinion, the love story was being written the whole time. Jordan leads with a quiet heart but an abundance of outward declaration of his adoration for his bride. He even wrote her a song! Haley embodies everything that a Godly wife should be and has naturally moved into that help mate for Jordan while still being a force of nature all on her own.

Haley's wedding gown from Wendy's Bridal was the perfect dress for her with the lace overlay and fingertip veil. And Jordan's muted teal suit was the perfect compliment but also a statement vibe all on its own. This gorgeous mural downtown in Auburn Indiana was sheer perfection for Haley's bridal portraits also, it was as though it was painted just for her!

It was finally time to get married! Haley and Jordan chose to have an outdoor ceremony on the veranda at Kruse Plaza. Their ceremony was centered first on Jesus and second on each other with personally written vows and a unity sand ceremony. My favorite parts of their ceremony were the look on Haley's face as she was telling Jordan all her promises for their future and Jordan's full of joy and sass expression as he walked his bride down the aisle after being pronounced husband and wife!

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Their reception was one of the most fun receptions I've ever been to. If you're looking for a unique way to entertain your guests and give them a night to remember, I highly recommend hiring a live band. Casual Friday covers a wide variety of music and has a full band and vocalists that are absolutely incredible. Five stars and highly recommend!! Grooms, if I could offer a piece of advice: get on the dance floor! There are many weddings I photograph where I never see the groom dancing. If this isn't proof of why you should be out there dancing with your bride- I don't know what is!

One of my favorite things to do during the reception is to take the bride and groom out for a few minutes to catch the sunset. Not only do we get gorgeous photos but it's also a little time for the bride and groom to just take a minute to be with each other, essentially alone. Minus me having a camera pointed at them. The resulting images are nearly always some of my favorite from the whole wedding day

If you were needing wedding inspo for your upcoming wedding, Haley and Jordan's wedding details were exquisite. I loved the teal color palette, the gold accents, the mirrored seating chart- everything!

Their team of vendors really came together to make the wedding day flow smoothly and go off without a hitch. Aside from the wedding vendors I've already mentioned throughout, dinner was courtesy of Mission BBQ desserts were provided by Sweet Cream Bakery, and wedding bouquets created by Four Seasons Florist in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Haley and Jordan ended the night with a final dance in their venue, just the two of them. I loved this. Their guests were waiting outside getting the sparklers ready for their sparkler exit and it was a quiet and perfect moment for the newlyweds.

And then it was time to go! With their guests lined up outside Kruse Plaza lighting their way with sparklers the newly named Mr. and Mrs. made their grand exit! The day was absolute perfection. Special thanks to the entire team for a job well done in making their wedding day exactly as they had dreamed!

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Japanese Spring Wedding Featured on Green Wedding Shoes

(J3Designs Photography) — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 05:21:57 GMT

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I'll start with the incredible news that a recent Japanese inspired Spring Wedding Styled Shoot I photographed was selected for publication on Green Wedding Shoes ! If you are currently planning a wedding and needing some wedding inspo, Green Wedding Shoes is a fabulously curated platform for all things wedding planning. It was really exciting to see which images from the body of work submitted they chose for publication.

Having my work published on any platform is always deeply flattering (and affirming) to me as an artist. Though I have had my images published previously, this particular publication has been a dream since their inception in 2008. It's tough to get published on a national platform-- generally a body of work can only be submitted to one place and can't be submitted elsewhere until acceptance or denial is given. "Putting all your eggs into one basket" seems quite fitting here. If I'm being fully transparent, I wasn't sure if it would be accepted. The talent and sheer volume of submissions they receive is astronomical. A couple weeks ago when the designer for the shoot emailed to say we had been accepted for publication my jaw hit the floor and it hasn't returned to my face yet. It probably won't for quite some time. --It's been an incredibly exciting week here because of the feature coming out and a few other reasons I can't wait to share about soon!

Until then, here's a small appetizer from our pink and floral spring wedding fusion! Our Japanese bride, Rita, was an amazing model to photograph. It was fascinating watching her kimono be tied, a tradition which takes over an hour to do properly!

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The feature on Green Wedding Shoes explains in a lot more detail the particulars of the Japanese traditions that were important parts of this event. From top to bottom every lovely detail was absolute perfection in my opinion, and very much thanks to the vision of Mandy, owner of Floracultured, who curated the awesome team of wedding vendors in the Fort Wayne area to collaborate.

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I couldn't think of a better post to begin what I hope to be a more consistent writing and sharing. For now, a final team high five and all the gold starts to my friends and fellow collaborators:

Event Design & Florals: Floracultured // Videography: DE Media Design // Hair Stylist: The BOB Salon // Makeup Artist: Julie Marie // Invitation Suite: Jon Ringger // Bridal Gown: Wendy's Bridal // Tablescape Linens & Head table rentals: A Party Apart //
Styling Dishes & Non-traditional wedding ring: Cream & Concrete // Spring Fusion Venue: The Local Archive //
Japanese Bride: Rita Quinn

Be right back--have to pinch myself real quick that I get use this :)