Agave Road Wedding: Ali & Ben

The doctor had told them to expect a boy. So baby Ben’s nursery was filled with all sorts of baby boy things in anticipation of his arrival. But when the big day came, little Ben ended up being a little Alexandra. Or Ali, for short. And as Ali’s big sister Sarah would say in her matron of honor speech 23 years later, she had been robbed of a little brother named Ben. Until last Friday… When Ali Smith married Ben MacMillan, two families combined to make one, and Ali’s family got the Ben they never had. I was truly honored to play a part in documenting this very special day, 23 years in the making if you think about it one way, and seven years in the making if you count all the years since the 8th grade that Ali and Ben have been together. :)

A & B – Thank you for including me in your most beautiful day. I hope you’re busy enjoying yourselves in Punta Cana! And I hope you enjoy this ginormous peek at your images. It was a little difficult to pare down, so I hope that’s okay. ;) XOXO!!!

There are no words for this Mori Lee dress. Okay, maybe one. Gorgeous..Get ready to see a lot of yellow, beginning with Ali’s adorable sunshiney shoes!The bridal suite was full of giggles, excitement and mimosas. Yummm.Special shout out to Sunkissed and Made Up, as well as Kendra Cheatwood for making this bride and her girls look fabulous with hair and makeup.How many bridesmaids does it take to put a bride’s dress on? ;)
Ali. You are flawless.Ben, reading a letter from his soon-to-be wife, complete with doodles and curly q’s. :)
The groomsmen, looking sharp! And I’m lovin’ the mismatched suits.Such a fun moment! :)Ali and Ben chose to shoot their groom’s party and bridal party portraits separately, and THEN have a first look, which I am always 150% FOR! Including a first look in the timeline also allowed us to capture bride and groom portraits prior to the ceremony.Ali got a majorly cute frame from Hobby Lobby for these pictures, so all the cred goes to her! :)This will only make sense to about two blog readers, but Ben looks so much like my cousin Alex it’s not even funny. Yet another reason to love A&B!Some last-minute touches before the ceremony begins (i.e., Ali’s sweet older sister Sarah putting in her veil).The outside ceremony site left no detail unaccounted for.Lemony ice water, programs shaped like fans, and a Heaven-sent breeze helped offset the record breaking heat advisory on that hot, hot day.Isn’t it perfect?Agave Road‘s in-house florist, Tonya, did an outstanding job on all floral anywhere and everywhere, but especially on the fireplace mantle!Loved this totally charming spin on the traditional petal-throwing role of flower girl.Ali was an absolute vision walking down the aisle.One of my favorite parts of the entire day was the moment below… When the officiant was praying over the bride and groom, Ben couldn’t help but stare up at Ali with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. :) Oh, and little Josh to the right looked on curiously.
Ali.. Ben… For not practicing “THE kiss,” it sure looks like you did. ;)I love, love, love LOVE. And their reactions in this image!Succulents have GOT to be the way to my heart.Edible Designs by Jessie nailed it yet again. This was one of the most interesting and intricate cake designs ever! Just stunning.Reception time! And the toasts were a hit.In culling these images for blogging, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at how much this photo resembles the one below it. :) These two got DOWN.And this one? Simply speaks to all the ridiculously cool fun Ali and Ben’s entire day was. So glad to have been a part of it!

Happy Friday!!