Oak Lane of Oregon - Oregon, IL
May 21st 2022
Kristy and Juan were one of my first clients after SMP opened the doors. I was excited that someone was willing to take a risk with me, and help me follow my dreams, while I got to capture theirs. Kristy and Juan were originally supposed to be married in the fall of 2020, but once the world shut down, plans were changed.
Their wedding was pushed to the spring of 2021, but again - the pandemic was still at large, and large gatherings were still frowned upon. I could tell that Kristy was broken - She wanted to marry her best friend, but she also wanted all of her friends and family to be in attendance. So, we pushed it back again, this time - Spring 2022.
Man oh man - I can't tell you how excited I was when I woke up the day of their wedding. It had been a long time coming, and finally - the day was here. I drove to pickup my second-photographer, we grabbed coffee, and then we were on our way to capture this glorious wedding.
The weather was full of rain the week of the wedding - which wasn't ideal, but I told Kristy, that no matter what - we would make it work. When we showed up to the venue, Oak Lane of Oregon, the sun was out, and there was a nice breeze blowing. I didn't want to lose the sun - I knew, by looking at the forecast every 30 minutes or so, that we were in for another washout.
I met Kristy and her gals in the getting ready house, introduced my second, and then we took the details and scurried outside to get some gorgeous shots outside. Just as we were finishing up the details, I could smell the rain (hello, #justmidwestthings) and so I frantically started putting everything back, and we ran as if our life depended on it back to the house. Just as we got in, the bottom fell out of the clouds, and you could hear the rain bouncing off of the roof.
We played this game with the weather for the rest of the morning, leading up to the ceremony. I know most people HATE rain for a wedding day. While I'll agree, that it limits the amount of photos you can have outside, I strongly believe that rain on your wedding day is good luck. Juan and Kristy had been waiting years to marry, and finally the day had arrived, and Mother Nature was wishing them well.
Kristy + Juan, it was a pleasure getting to work with you for your engagement and your wedding. I wish the two of you nothing but the best in your new married life.
Venue: Oak Lane of Oregon
Photographer: Sierra Marie Photography
DJ / Entertainment: Nicky Avalo Studios
