Janet Butler
Sometimes it’s nice to harken back to a more traditional approach to a wedding — and, in at least one aspect, this couple did just that in this Auburn, Alabama, celebration, as pictured by Stephen DeVries. How were they different? There was no “big reveal” as is so common in weddings now: the bride and groom were apart prior to the ceremony and didn’t see each other until they met at the outdoor altar. Whether or not they were keeping the old superstition about “bad luck” to the bride and groom who see each other “before the church” isn’t clear; what is, however, is that they found ways to give each other that little affectionate “nod” beforehand, anyhow. He sent her a love letter, while she sent him Batman cufflinks!
Easygoing is the tone here: the bride’s hair is loose around her shoulders, her bouquet is heavy on sunflowers and brown-eyed Susans — and her groom is in white sneakers! After Dad hugs his little girl and Mom fixes her daughter’s veil, the bride meets her man with the backdrop of a stately home behind them. Married on a stone deck, they process back down an aisle of grass and enjoy an outdoor reception. The bride’s cake is trimmed in brown-and-yellow flowers, while the groom’s cake holds a camping scene. Happy dancers form a conga line in front of a reflecting pool — and the bride helps lead the way. Then, in a flurry of bouquet- and garter-tossing, the happy pair is ushered into an appropriately decorated convertible, and drive off into their future together.
