If this beautiful Bride hadn’t just married her soulmate, I’d swear she was mine—at the very least, my wedding soulmate because this intimate elopement is everything. The gorgeous fall flowers, the lovely lace dress, the beautiful photos from Bethany Erin Photography and this incredible Bride and Groom—it doesn’t get any better than this. See every stunning moment and fall in love with it all in THE VAULT!
From The Bride…October 22, 2015 was the most amazing day of my life, a day I’ll never forget: my wedding day. Was my wedding the exact wedding I had dreamed of my entire childhood, through my teenage years and even as an adult? Were the wedding bells ringing as I took the proverbial walk down the aisle, my tuxedoed father at my side? Were the bridesmaids in beautiful dresses, the groomsmen looking fit for GQ, with the wedding party anxiously watching every minute of the ceremony? NO. Not even close. No aisle, no bridesmaids, no groomsmen, no bells. And I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
On that very rainy afternoon, my husband and I were married at the Tarrant County courthouse in Fort Worth, TX. Our only audience was the Justice of the Peace who married us, and our lovely photographer Bethany Wilson. In this elegant and historic courthouse, I made vows to the love of my life in what was the most intimate wedding ceremony I’ve ever witnessed. It was an elopement of sorts. All of our family lives in Utah or on the East Coast. They knew we were getting married, but we wanted to share that special moment distraction free. No cake, no dancing, no being pulled in 100 directions, no drama. As we exchanged vows, we were able to gaze into each other’s eyes, truly focus on the promises we were making and simply enjoy and live in the moment. It was perfect.
My husband and I are from Utah. He transferred to Dallas for work and we knew we wanted to get married in the place we would be starting our new life together. Not knowing a single soul in the area, we turned to the one source we knew we could count on- Social Media. We searched dozens of hashtags (yes they actually come in handy) on Facebook, Twitter and most of all Instagram. We were able to find the most talented photographer who not only took photos of us that day, but also did an engagement session. She was a trooper to say the least. She braved the cold and rain to get some amazing shots that day.She even helped me with my hair for the wedding! Bethany shoots a lot of her photos using actual film-you know like the way people took photos 100 years ago. Her unique style makes for the most breathtaking pictures.
We were also able to find the best florist in Dallas, hands down- The Backyard Bouquet, Lauren Clinkscales. She made the most gorgeous wedding bouquet and boutonniere, using only local flowers from farms and gardens in the DFW. She even took time out of her day to deliver the flowers right to me. We couldn’t have found the most perfect duo for flowers and photos. My wedding day was the best day of my life. It was simple. It was real. It was honest. It was beautiful.
From Bethany Erin Photography…When Crystal first contacted me about photographing her elopement wedding I was immediately excited. I had recently done a styled shoot with an elopement theme because I wanted to show brides that simple elopements can be photographed beautifully, and that even if you decide to skip out on a big wedding, you don’t have to miss out on beautiful wedding photographs. I immediately shared my preferred vendor list with her, but she told me she had already chosen everyone. I had never heard of the florist that she chose, The Backyard Bouquet, but when I visited her instagram account I was immediately excited again because her work was beautiful, and I knew Crystal’s wedding aesthetic was something I would love to photograph.
We emailed back and forth over the next few weeks about their choice of hotel, where we would take their portraits, little details that she could add to make her day even more special and the timeline for the day. When the week of October 22 arrived, however, I was pretty heartbroken when the forecast predicted rain. I came armed with a pretty umbrella, but was truly hoping that we wouldn’t need it. For the first half of the day while we were in the hotel photographing details and bridal boudoir, the rain held off. However, as we began our short walk from, The Worthington to the historic Tarrant County Courthouse, drops began to fall as I captured a few shots of the couple walking down the charming sidewalks of downtown Fort Worth. Whenever we emerged from the courthouse after the ceremony we were met with a torrential downpour, and we had to wait it out on the courthouse steps. We were now faced with the decision of whether to travel to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden or whether to stay downtown and do photos whenever the rain passed. Ultimately, Crystal made the call to stick with the original plan of traveling to the Botanic Garden, and when we arrived we still sat, hoping that the rain would end in enough time to allow us to get some pretty photos. However, the opposite occurred as the heavens seemed to empty endless showers on this sweet couple’s wedding day. I asked Crystal and Jacob if they were open to holding the umbrella and letting me get a few shots of them in the rain, and then if they would like more photos in the future we could schedule a bride and groom session then. Thankfully, they were more than happy to huddle under an umbrella and be romantic while I stood in the rain juggling a manual focus medium format film camera and an umbrella. I could not be more pleased with the real, honest photos that we captured in the midst of a rainstorm. I think that is truly what wedding photography is about, capturing the reality of each couple’s day, embracing the unexpected and finding the beauty that chooses to reveal itself in each moment, because sometimes clouds have silver linings, and sometimes raindrops do.
Photography: Bethany Erin Photography | Floral Design: The Backyard Bouquet | Ceremony Venue: Tarrant County Historic Courthouse | Makeup: Blushington | Calligraphy: Scribbles And Swirls | Hotel: The Aspen Institute At Wye River | Outdoor Portraits: Fort Worth Botanic Garden