Way back when we first sat down to talk with Maddy & Ethan at their wedding photography consultation, Deann and I increasingly turned more and more into giddy little school girls as we heard the details of their wedding day unfold! We’re not gonna spoil all the awesome deets just yet, but let’s just start at the most important fact--these two are probably the nicest people EVER and have such cool, fun personalities that seeped into every moment of their day!! Get ready for a fun ride, guys!
Let’s start with the venue Maddy & Ethan chose--it’s a brand spanking new place in Anderson named The Crystal Coop. We don’t normally gush over wedding venues like we’re about to here, but we just cannot resist with this one!! The grounds are gorgeous, the indoor reception area is both equally classy and cozy, and the rustic, covered porch is HUGE (and we found out later--a nice, dry place on a rainy day!). Side note: We even talked a bit with one of the two sisters who own, run, and are responsible for the gorgeous remodeling & design of the entire venue! Along with the entire staff, she was sweet, helpful and so personable throughout the day. Sooooo, in case you can’t tell, The Crystal Coop: HIGHLY RECOMMEND. ;) And it was the PERFECT choice for Ethan & Maddy’s day. Even the bride & grooms's suites were picture perfect! Check it all out!
One of our favorite times of a wedding day is seeing the different ways bridesmaids and groomsmen spend their time getting ready. Those bridesmaids up there were BUSY with all the bridesmaid-ey things, and although the groomsmen had various jobs, too, they did a little more um, relaxing. One of these days we're gonna sit down with the groomsmen and play or drink or whatever it is they're doing!
Next up was the first look. In case you don't know, we LOVE first looks! But Maddy & Ethan took theirs one step further and also spent the time afterward reading their vows privately to each other. Future brides & grooms, take note!! They created such a special moment!!
Seriously, check out these rings!!! Another example of how this couple is just So. Darn. Cool. Maddy’s ring is an absolute show stopper, and Ethan’s is made out of wood from a Jack Daniels barrel, and the middle is elk antler!! And don't get us started on their tattoos--they each have the word "love" written by the other on their wrist.
Now, Maddy & Ethan probably never would've guessed when they chose their wedding date that their outdoor wedding would be right in the middle of the strangest, rainiest spring Indiana has seen in a long time! Their day was filled with rain, thunderstorms and even tornado warnings in nearby cities, but these two took it all in stride and the day was magical nonetheless!!
**The clouds DID show us all some mercy at the exact time we had scheduled for bride & groom portraits, so we ventured out for a few shots on the beautiful grounds of The Crystal Coop!
After our short venture out onto the grounds, it became clear we needed to stick to some covered areas. We just headed back to that gigantic porch we mentioned earlier, and it was perfect for gathering the troops and getting bridal party shots done! We are in LOVE with how they turned out (and everyone stayed dry!).
**For those of you who follow us and see a familiar face in this group, YES! That’s a former LTP bride, Katryna back there! We LOVED catching up with her and Will a bit at this wedding! And if you’re REALLY observant, you’ll remember Maddy was a bridesmaid in Katryna’s wedding, too!
Now on to the ceremony. It was moved inside due to the rain, and you guys, what happened was a transformation into this warm, cozy, personal moment between Maddy, Ethan and the most important people in their lives as they said "I do." It. was. perfect.
All right, hold up. We are gonna pause right here to just prepare you for what's coming next. Remember when we said above that we turned into giddy little girls just talking about their day? Well, we are willing to bet that heads actually turned when we squealed out loud about this detail: Maddy & Ethan decided to enlist their grandmothers as their FLOWER GIRLS. We know. JUST STAHP IT. We can all go home now, right?! And these ladies did NOT disappoint. They lived up this moment and the whole place was alllll smiles and laughter watching these flower girls do their thang.
AAAANND, MARRIED!!! Woohoo! We whisked these guys off to some family photos for a few, and then it was on to their reception!!
This reception was an awesome party and filled with so many fun moments, including a tradition of “surprising” a friend with confetti cannons (he wasn’t so surprised this time, btw!)!!
And here’s a detail we did NOT realize before the wedding day: Both Ethan and Maddy hit the JACKPOT when it comes to their parents. The dads were so involved, the moms were SO sweet and uber helpful. And apparently Maddy’s mom is the life of the party!! Pretty sure we saw her dragging people out onto the dance floor, and we also may have heard her tell some people in the most loving way that she’d throat punch them if they crossed the bride. She had us rolling more than once at how hilarious she was. Needless to say, these guys are surrounded by some pretty amazing people, and we're so glad we got to capture what a celebration it was with them.
When we had our engagement session with Maddy and Ethan, they wanted to meet at an ice cream shop and brought some adorable spoons to get pictures of! So during their reception, we weren’t surprised that they skipped the traditional wedding cake in favor of some super yummy Sundae’s ice cream!! We snuck them away from everyone so they could enjoy their dessert while we got a few more pictures. Ethan made the mistake of mentioning how good his peanut butter pie ice cream was and well… Deann literally stopped what she was doing and left in search of this amazing-sounding treat! Don’t worry, she also got the bride and groom some more. But tip for future brides and grooms: if you want both photographers to shoot at every moment of your day, do not offer this delicious treat. They will have to take at least a minute or two to devour it!
Ethan & Maddy, we just LOVE you guys to pieces! Your day was one we'll remember forever, and we're just so happy you guys trusted us to be the ones to capture it!!
--Shannon & Deann
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