Rain. We can’t live without it, but it’s not a welcome guest at a wedding. Austin and Cari had planned a beautiful outdoor ceremony on the lush and expansive lawn of the Russell Center at CE National in Winona Lake. It’s a great wedding venue and outdoor ceremonies are very popular there. The building has a porch that wraps around on three sides. When it rained steadily the entire day, we made use of every single inch of that wrap around porch! The ceremony was moved from the lawn to the porch and all the photos were moved from the lawn to the porch. It was a duck and cover kind of day. Thankfully it wasn’t too windy and the rain was relatively light. Despite all the rain, the day was BEAUTIFUL.

The couple had a country themed wedding that heavily featured Austin’s favorite color, regency purple. The couple prefers casual to formal, so they opted for more casual clothing, food, and traditions whenever possible. I’ll tell you more about that as you scroll, but for now let’s take a quick moment to acknowledge the people who helped make Austin and Cari’s day awesome.

• Florist: Anderson Florist and Greenhouse, Warsaw Indiana
  
• Cake: Marsh Supermarket Bakery, Warsaw Indiana
• Caterer: OrthoCity BBQ, Winona Lake Indiana
• Venue: The Russell Center at CE National, Winona Lake Indiana

 

These boots are a great example of how Cari opted for comfort over formality and tradition.

The guys wore vests instead of jackets for the wedding keeping them cooler and less formal.

This is the look on Austin’s face when he saw Cari for the first time. What a grin!

I snuck in the building to shoot this photo through the window. I thought I was being soooooo sneaky and nobody would catch me, but Derek and Jessica were in there running the sound and totally caught me and giggled at me.

We stared by shooting photos in indoor locations and then moved out and did a few in the rain!

I just love, love, love, love this photo! I love the lush green. I love the sparkle of the rain around them. It’s breathtaking. I’m SO grateful the couple stuck it out, trusted me, and agreed to stand in the rain. I’m pretty sure they had no idea why I was asking them to do this, but they just rolled with it.

This brick was an adorable homage to the place where Cari and Austin first met.

Why does Gene look so happy? Because ORTHO CITY BBQ catered this wedding!!!!!! Seriously, Brad and his crew are amazing! The food is melt in your mouth delicious and their customer service is impeccable.

While I’m thinking of it, I just want to say thank you to the O’Hara family. They seated us with Cari’s parents at the reception (whaaaat?!?!) and insisted that we take a break to eat. (Ortho City BBQ in my mouth? Yes, please!) They were so kind and wonderful. I felt like a guest!

This is the face you make when your big brother decides to tell embarrassing stories about you while giving a speech. So Priceless!!

These eight O’Hara cousins pose for this photo, in this exact order, at least once per year.

Cari and her dad began their dance with a classic slow dance and then the record scratched and they broke out in a choreographed dance. It was so funny!

The jars that held the M&M guest favors said “love” on the side instead of “Ball” or “Mason”. Isn’t that adorable?

Congratulations Austin and Cari! Thanks so much for choosing me to document your wedding. Thanks for trusting me, and being willing to get a little damp. I appreciate you both so much for being so chill and understanding. Not everyone would have been so gracious and easygoing about a rainy day wedding.

P.S. Facebook told me that today is a pretty big day for the DeYoung family.
Happy 50th Anniversary to Cari’s grandparents! You’re a beautiful example for Austin and Cari to follow.