You don’t have to have your wedding in a ‘wedding venue’ …more and more I’m photographing weddings in unique locations like cottages, farms, family property in the woods and places like restaurant patios, pubs and now AirBnB’s
Kaitlyn and Patrick found a great AirBnB with enough space and isolation to host their intimate wedding of about 50 ppl. The AirBnB has been used for Yoga Retreats, Corporate Workshops and Cooking show production for TV. Needless to say the surroundings were perfect for a wedding. Big shady trees, a large back yard deck for dancing and a huge yard for games, a pool and lots of open space to watch the sun go down from the deck.
Selecting shorter wedding day coverage, their desire for their wedding photography was to tell the story of the casual nature of the day. Choosing a first look they met in the front yard under the big trees and the look of excitement on Patrick’s face was awesome. Their smiles as they returned from their first look to hit their ceremony were awesome …the air was filled with the excitement of getting married now!
Patrick’s sister perform most of the ceremony except the legal parts where an officiant filled in the blanks and signed the paperwork … another thing I’ve seen more and more of is less traditional officiating of weddings. Having a legal representative cross the t’s and dot the i’s is mandatory but everything else is up to you as a couple.
As we gathered family and friends for group photos the caterer’s car got stuck going down a hill on the property towards where everyone had parked. Quickly a group of gentlemen scurried down the driveway to lift the car over the tree stump it was stuck on.
The day filled out with epic first dances …laughs and dips, a mom weeping at the sight of her baby dancing with her dad and another mom killing herself laughing after the slow song turned fast and the shoes got whipped off for some jumping and twirling. First dances don’t have to be slow and romantic …you can make it your own by doing whatever you like. It’s your wedding!
With lawn games abound and a pool near the bar there was plenty of places for people to get away to and small groups formed by each as you’d naturally expect at a party. There was no formal sit down dinner, just food being served buffet style in the kitchen with staff ready to combine whatever ingredients you wanted into a taco / a wrap and some sides. There was more meat and cheese than you could ask for on a table with breads to graze and a dessert table that made me kinda giddy. Pies, cakes, tarts, squares, cookies, candied nuts …you name it (OK I may have a dessert problem). People grabbed plates and meandered back to their lawn games (the giant Jenga game masterfully set up by a group of engineers who brought shims and a level to ensure fair play) and ladder toss with golf balls on strings is always a fun one to be part of as long as you don’t get hit.
I’m a big fan of wedding speeches. Like it’s my favorite part of the night usually because THAT’S when the real emotions come out for everyone …the laughter filled the patio as the Emcee laid into both Kait and Pat with stories of the past, tales of the cat, the parties, the secrets revealed. Secrets revealed during wedding speeches are always good for a laugh and an awkward look towards your parents.
The day ended in the late evening for me as the sun set and the DJ spun the records up …the large deck made for a great dance floor and those who felt a little chilly were able to retreat back into the main house for warmth.
All in all Kaitlyn and Patrick’s wedding went off exactly as they’d planned… a moderate sized group of closest friends and family gathering together with them to celebrate their love. A wedding where they got to spend time with each person in attendance and made it feel like they were the only people there at that time.
Here’s a bunch of the images from the day that, to me, tell the story of the day and capture the feeling of what happened at this AirBnB wedding
