You pull up the long drive at Pere Marquette and the light seems to dance - even along the winding drive. There's something that sets the stage for a wedding day when the roads you travel to get there include scenic routes of the Mississippi and clear, blue skies.

I walked in to give Katie a hug and look at all of her bridal details and she was complimenting one of her bridesmaids in true Katie fashion. The guys carried in the last of the ceremony and reception setup as the ladies hid Katie away in the bridal suite - complete with Panera bagels, orange juice, champagne (insert all the toasting glasses) and fruit. There was something about the day that made you want to soak up all the light and the view of the Lodge. So I let the light compliment the lace on her shoes and point back to the fluffy white clouds above...

Grafton Illinois Hotel Wedding Photos | Light & Airy Photographer

Grafton, Illinois WEDDING

pere marquette lodge

Katie snuck outside to write her I'm-going-to-marry-you-and-love-you-forever letter. Some of her family watched her from a ways away and I watched her wipe away a tear. And when she read the letter from AJ on the deck in her lacy wedding dress? There was no holding back the tears.

She sprayed the perfume that her aunt had left in the room for her, picked up her bouquet, and walked outside to see AJ for their first look. There was something that felt cinematic about the slow walk next to the rose bushes and nothing but the sound of wind hitting the tops of the trees. He was standing just ahead with his back to her and he shifted just a little bit when he heard her. He couldn't hold back a smile anymore and he looked down at the ground, waiting for Katie.

She tapped him on the shoulder and he spun around to hold her and be lost in a world for just the two of them. I watched them do their hand-holdy thing - you know, where they can't help but hold both hands and do this sweet little dance of sorts even when there's no music to be heard. Their hand-holding reminds me that joy is found in the smallest of moments - from your mom putting on your necklace and stopping to hug on your family to sneaking off into the sunset just after you say your forevers.

Related: Katie & AJ Engagement Session

Southern Missouri Hotel Wedding Photos | Film Photography

The Pere Marquette Wedding Team

Grafton, Illinois

Photography - Jordan Brittley, Fine Art St Louis Photographer
Venue - Pere Marquette Lodge
Floral Designer - Schnucks Floral
Cake - Duke Bakery
Wedding Dress - Watters
Shoes - Bella Belle
Rings - Denney Jewelers
Bridesmaids Dresses - Show Me Your Mumu
Hair - Maggie Scholar
Makeup - Brush
Invitations - Minted