Folks, there are garden parties, and then there are Garden Parties. Alex & Ted’s wedding day was the latter 🙂

Alex & Ted have an insatiable appetite for nature and outdoor adventures like hiking, camping, rock climbing, and sailing. They even got engaged in the beloved outdoors on one of their nightly walks near their old apartment building. So, it was truly a no brainer that Alex & Ted chose a stunning 24 acre farmhouse-turned-arboretum as their wedding venue.

But their day was not without drama…

On their morning of their wedding, the skies opened up and poured rain. Lightning ripped dramatically across the sky. Not far away, there was a tornado warning. I kept refreshing my (many) weather apps to see if the forecast would shift in our favor. But there was just no way to tell. So instead I planned for every contingency I could think of.

When I arrived to Alex’s hotel suite to begin capturing her day, I was relieved to see that she was surrounded by the ultimate hype crew. In between hair and makeup, it seemed their sole focus was keeping Alex’s spirits high while the storm raged outside the suite’s floor-to-ceiling windows.

As the morning progressed, the storm began to shift. And lose power. And what was that? A bit of blue sky on the horizon? Was the storm really leaving??

It was!!

By the time we left the hotel to make the short trek to Appleford Estate, the rain had all but stopped and the clouds were thinning. By the time Alex got dressed in her stunning Anne Barge gown, she felt safe to make the call to keep the ceremony outside next to the property’s pond.

And wow was it worth it 🙂

You’d never know from the images captured on Alex & Ted’s wedding day that Mother Nature gave them such a dramatic morning. Appleford’s gardens were washed clean and drying out just as Alex & Ted shared their first look and captured portraits with their close-knit wedding party.

After their touching pond-side ceremony (complete with personally written vows), Alex & Ted treated their guests to custom drinks and yard games during cocktail hour, followed by a multi-course meal at dinner. But don’t worry, they soon danced it all off while moving and grooving to the live band 🙂

When I first met with Alex & Ted, they stressed how excited they were to take advantage of Appleford’s numerous gardens for their portraits. I’m so glad that Mother Nature let that happen and that Alex & Ted got the portraits of their dreams on their wedding day.

Cheers to this dynamic duo!

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A huge thank you to the team that made this day stunning!

venue | Appleford Estate
coordination | Porch & Pearls
beauty | Shimmer & Spice | True Beauty Marks
floral design | Amaranth Florist
bridal boutique | Elizabeth Johns Bridal Couture
gown designer | Anne Barge
catering | Perfect Setting
cake | Bredenbeck’s Bakery
entertainment | Back2Life Band
transportation | King Transportation
videography | Tag Visual
2nd photographer | Megan Stone

CHEERS TO ALEX & TED!

Can’t get enough of these lovebirds? Check out their engagement session!