I did it, guys!! I traveled beyond the East Coast for a wedding!!! I’ve always said.. if I can do just one wedding across country, that would be enough for me by the end of my career as a wedding photographer. But, I am hoping that the opportunity I received to serve Wade and Penny will open many other doors!!
Wade and Penny are both friends of ours, though this is the first time I had ever met Penny! I felt like I had known her for years the first time I had hugged her after landing in Arizona, and maybe that’s just the best part about social media!! Wade and my husband, KJ, went to college together and became best buds, eventually working together in the hotel business in North Carolina. KJ was in the wedding so one way or another, this trip was happening! But it was the sweetest thing in the world when they said “yes Jess, you can do our wedding!!”
Not only are they just the sweetest and I knew their wedding would reflect that, but their big day was going to be in ARIZONA!!! A place I have always dreaming of visiting. And before I get off on a tangent about my newfound love for the desert and all the beautiful plant life out there…. let me tell you all about the Rutter wedding day!
I knew I had a task set out for me when they said their wedding would be featuring accents of Star Wars, Harry Potter, the Legends of Zelda, Dungeons and Dragons and Lord of the Rings. I won’t lie…. I was a little intimidated!!! I mean, I grew up watching Star Wars and I love Harry Potter, and dabbled with a little Zelda on the old Nintendo 64. But, I knew nothing about Dungeons and Dragons or Lord of the Rings!! I was nervous I wouldn’t fit in… but thankfully you didn’t have to pass a test in order to get into the wedding 🙂
It was a lot of fun seeing them bring each theme into play. Penny and the ladies held bouquets with lightsaber hilts. The guys each had to take a quiz to see which Harry Potter house they were, and wore matching ties, suspenders and socks and had custom wands made for them! Their cake was a beautiful masterpiece that had Star Wars fondant pieces consisting of R2D2, The Millennium Falcon, Darth Vadar and the Death Star — which was epic in my opinion!! There was a flower girl, Princess Zelda, and the ring bearer, Link!! So many cool touches that you’ll just have to see for yourself 🙂
Some of the best moments for me was seeing Penny tear up here and there through out the rehearsal and then on the big day. Those moments of happiness that just pour out are the ultimate sweetest, and seeing them start this new season of life with so many people who love them is the best. Their wedding day went beautifully and I had a lot of fun being there to serve them in the best way I knew how.
Penny and Wade, I love you both so much and am so thrilled I got to be there to help celebrate this new chapter!!! I loved meeting your amazing friends and families, and literally can’t wait to see everyone again!
Enjoy some of my favorites <3
xoxo – Jess
Florals | Amazon
Cake | Piece of Cake AZ
Bridesmaids Dresses | David’s Bridal
Suits | Amazon
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