Josh and Claire were married on Saturday at Culver Academies in Culver, Indiana located on the shore of beautiful Lake Maxinkukee. These college sweethearts met the first day of their freshman year at Valparaiso University. They were best friends for two years and then finally surrendered to the inevitable and started dating. From the sounds of it, their friends and family seemed to know they would be together before they knew or maybe before they were ready to admit it to themselves. After more than a year of being engaged, this close-knit couple was delighted to finally be married and their day was full of emotional and meaningful celebration. The couple had a traditional Christian ceremony and their entire day had a stunning rustic country theme using navy and earthy deep wine reds with gold delicate accents. I’ll describe more of the details as we go, but I invite you to keep scrolling and enjoy the highlights of this gorgeous day.

VENDORS:
• Flowers: The Garden by Elizabeth Culver, IN
• Makeup: Katie Riordan Beauty by Katie Crown Point, IN
• Hair: Herminia Ludwig Classic Image Hair Salon Plymouth, IN
• Ceremony: Culver Academy Culver, IN
• Reception: Woodcraft Dining Hall Culver, IN
• Catering: Culver Academy Culver, IN
• Cake: Delizious Bakery Plymouth, IN
• Coordinator: Lindsey Pick Culver, IN
• Videographer: Just Visuals Wedding Films South Bend, IN
• DJ: RnB Sound Garrett, IN

I love this ring inscription. It’s the title of the song the couple used for their first dance. If you have time, check out “You Know Me” by Air Traffic Controller. It’s a great song!

I apologize for over-posting photos of Claire, but I just had so many gorgeous options. Her dress, her hair, and her flowers, along with her God-given face were really fun to shoot.

My favorite personalization of the entire day was how Josh & Claire did the sand ceremony. I’ve seen sand poured many times, but this was really special because Josh had sand from a beach near his childhood home near Lake Michigan and Claire had sand from the shores of Lake Maxinkukee.

I already mentioned this on Facebook, but oh my goodness… the sunset!

The couple had JUST sat down to enjoy their salad course when I saw through a tiny window that the sky was PINK. I dashed to their sweetheart table and apologetically begged them to go back out into the cold for a couple more photos. My dashing must have been noticeable because after snapping a few shots, I realized that half of the guests had followed us outside to see the sunset. It was absolutely unreal! I’m so glad I had so many guests as witnesses that the sky really did look this surreal.

After the toasts, the couple took to the dance floor and did a short choreographed dance to Uptown Funk and then pulled their parents onto the floor to join them. It was a fun start to the open dancing!

At the end of the night, the couple had a romantic sparkler exit. It was such a great end to a great day!

Congratulations, Josh & Claire, on an amazing, memorable, and meaningful wedding! It was so fun to be part of your day. I wish you many happy anniversaries!