I drove out to Magnolia, Texas for Ashlee and Chris’ wedding at Crystal Springs. Set back in the coutry, Crystal Springs is a large building that is built in a forest of trees that give the venue a great, rustic feel. The rear area contains a beautiful bridge and gazebo along with a covered area for outdoor weddings. This is where Chris and Ashlee had planned to have their wedding, but Houston weather had different plans for them that day! With strong thunderstorms in the area, Crystal Spring’s employees scurried to bring everything back inside the building, arranging a setup in the middle of the building. The tall ceilings, supported by cedar beams give the feeling of being in a nice warm barn – a great setup for a wedding!
Ashlee, completely unfazed by the rain outside was in the bride’s room getting her makeup and hair done with her friends. She was joking that the parasols she’d wanted to use in the photos with her bridesmaids would come in extra handy at the moment! Chris and his groomsmen were upstairs enjoying a few Karbach beers before getting into their suits.
As the ceremony time grew nearer, I brought Ashlee out of her room for a few photos in her dress. We’d planned on using the beautiful outdoor setting for photos, but with the persistent rain, we decided to use the outdoor walkway, which still had plenty of natural diffused light coming in from the sky. The shots turned out great, since the sky was acting like a big diffuser above everyone. We got some great shots with the parasols, then moved inside to get a few shots of the bride with the groomsmen. She had the idea to have them hold the parasols as well, mimicking the bridesmaids, and they were thrilled by her decision (can’t you tell?).
The ceremony went perfectly, and the reception immediately followed. Everyone had a great time dancing and carrying on, especially a few kids who were running around like crazy, perhaps due to an overdose of cake and loud music. I was able to fire off a quick shot of them when they were briefly at rest. The bride and groom played a game where they faced away from each other and were asked questions relating to the two of them. They each had a shoe of theirs and a shoe of their partners, and would answer by raising the appropriate shoe. The photo of this game below was Ashlee answering the question of “who is going to be the first to use the bathroom with the door wide open?” It was a pretty fun game, and I was surprised that I’d never seen it before!
At the end of the night, everyone gathered up bubbles and made their way to the exit to ready for the bride and groom’s departure. As I said my thanks to the couple, I threw in a recommendation that they try the “dip” as they exited and I would get a shot of it. I sure am glad I recommended it, because the resulting two shots are some of my favorite that I’ve taken.
It was a great night, and a big thanks to Chris and Ashlee for all their help. Congratulations, you two!
On to the photos!
