Weingarten Wedding Photography by St Louis Wedding Photographers

A Weingarten Wedding…by St Louis Wedding Photographers Joel & Shannon

Danielle & Brian’s wedding day was a very sweet, emotional, and memorable affair. There is always emotion involved in weddings, but there was quite a bit more than usual on their day. Danielle’s mother was so sweet, and she was tearing up throughout the day, and when she was walking with Danielle and her father down the aisle, it hit her more than ever before. With Brian, there were many little traditions that his family brought into the day to make things even more special. Brian’s father sadly passed away some years ago, and many of the traditions involved that – such as Brian’s sister pinning their dad’s old firefighter captain’s pin inside his jacket before the wedding (as she wore in her dress at her own wedding). Also, Brian’s mother presented him with his dad’s wedding ring, which he wore the whole day. It was so touching.

The wedding itself was lovely. We were again at the Weingarten, which is one of our favorite places to be (amazing location, awesome staff, beautiful landscape…there is nothing else like in on the Illinois side). Everything went off without a hitch (except the bride and groom, who did indeed get hitched). After we did a few photos we went back inside for a bit and everyone was socializing, drinking wine, and having a blast together. Shannon and I had a glass of the Weingarten’s strawberry sangria, and it was totally amazing! We headed to a family farm from there to do some country farm photos with everyone…including some shots with Brian’s Allis-Chalmers vintage tractor that he completely restored with the help of two of the groomsmen. Everyone was relaxing and having a great time. One funny thing was when two of the bridesmaids who went to chiropractic school with Danielle decided to give her an adjustment in her wedding dress. It was very funny 🙂

After we were finished with photos, we took a trip to the cemetery so that Brian could lay a flower on his father’s grave. I have to be honest, I have experienced many emotional moments at weddings before, but after nearly 100 weddings, I am not sure that I have seen anything that hit so deeply. It was so clear how much love everyone there had for each other and for their departed father, husband, and friend. It was very moving for everyone standing there…including myself. Even though there was pain involved, I could not be inspired by the overwhelming amount of love I say there among the friends and family.

The reception was at the American Legion in St Libory, which we worked at a few years ago with our friends Amy & Josh. It was a wonderful party, and everyone had a wonderful time dancing and celebrating the wonderful couple.

Huge congrats to Danielle and Brian! We were so honored to be a part of your amazing day, and thank you for trusting us with your photography. Blessings to you both for years to come!

Joel