graceful beginnings photography

June 30, 2018 was a HOT but gorgeous day for a wedding! There are a few places tucked in rural Champaign county that make one catch their breath when arriving at the venue like Pretty Prairie Farm. This Farm was a perfect choice to celebrate the marriage of a beautiful bride and groom, Mr. and Mrs. Steve Klein (or anyone, we highly recommend this venue;)). When arriving to the venue, we were first was taken back by the barn, beautifully decorated, tables set, flowers arranged, and ready for set piece pictures to capture the hard work and creativity the family and friends had given to make this a great place for the reception. After seeing the barn, it was off to snap some shots of the bride and bridesmaids getting ready for the ceremony and MAN were they beautiful! It was a unique opportunity to capture an elegant and beautiful bride, her mama and her girls in a vintage, very well kept, house. However, the next event may have been one of the most memorable, as the Tonya walked out of the front door to meet her father for the first look, to exchange gifts, tears, and hugs. (Lots of tears from Kylee too :p)

The ceremony was definitely a hot one, but seeing adorable flower girls, ring bearer, and the bride pulled through the trees behind her favorite Ford tractor was only worth it. The following few hours flew by, finding places to hide from the sunlight to shoot the family pictures, moving to the barn to for the reception and wow, I have to mention the delicious maple bacon cake! The last half hour was a great way to end the evening, when the sunset was just right, we snuck out to capture this radiant couple with the glow of the evening sun behind them, through the trees, under the pergola, and yes, by the tractor 🙂

Chris and Kylee

Ashley reached out to me a few months after I started up my business professionally… WOW, am I glad she did!

OK, so from the moment we pulled into this venue my jaw was dropped at how beautiful everything was. It was perfect elegance in everything… from the lake, the marble, the dress, the colors to the florals (the florals y’all, we had a connection). It was a hidden dream oasis in the middle of the cornfields of Ohio.

I absolutely loved that from the moment I got there I could just see the happiness in all of the family and friends faces. Everyone helped one another to get things ready and perfect for the day! Ashley, my dear bride, was literally the most care free bride I’ve been around. She totally trusted my vision for the day and was down with literally WHATEVER! As long as she married her man at the end of the day, she was happy! And Jake, what a sweet guy. All I heard from everyone’s lips all day long was that he was the type of guy that would do anything for you. (and that shows when EVERYONE is saying it!) Oh, and these people are die hard OSU fans. They incorporated their Ohio State love into everything, it was so fun!

Thank you Ashley and Jake for letting Chris and I be apart of one of the most sacred days of your lives ❤

Kylee T.