They almost had the ceremony indoors. Someone must have been watching down on them to give us 90 minutes of no rain and a glowy sun for Taylor and Cody’s lakeside wedding at Cold Springs Resort! Their day had all the classic vibes with a twist of boho as the bride chose bouquets of warm neutrals with pampas grasses and hints of peachy pink. Her Lily Rose ball gown was absolutely stunning and paired perfectly with the groom’s all-black attire.

Understanding my couples’ desires is my top priority. Of course, my goal is to capture every detail of my couple’s day but in the case that something happens where I have to choose how to utilize our time best, I want to know what their photo priorities are so I can make a decision that aligns with their best interest in mind. Leading up to the wedding day, I KNEW Taylor’s WHOLE VISION for her wedding was getting married outside, next to the lake in front of the resort. In my Pre-Wedding Questionnaire (A must-have for photographers!), the very first question is one of the most important ones of all, it asks them to rank their photo priorities.

Taylors top three:
1 Bride & Groom portraits
2 Wedding Party portraits
3 CEREMONY

I know Taylor truly wanted to just keep all of her guests happy and make things easy on everyone. But personally, when it comes down to it, your wedding day is about YOU. And all of your guests came here FOR YOU. Taylor and Cody chose to get married there because of the vision for the ceremony. And when the clouds opened up 15 minutes before ceremony time, I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t have a pow-wow with Cody (who is extremely calm and level-headed) and tell him that’s it’s totally doable and he agreed. So he walked over to Taylor and said “let’s get married outside”. And at that moment, Taylor LIT UP with excitement! Then immediately took a shot because it was a very stressful 30 minutes haha!

THE CEREMONY WAS PERFECT. Some of my absolute favorite ceremony photos I’ve ever taken in my life because the light was unbelievably perfect, the setting was soo so beautiful and (as you’ll see in the photos) an incredibly happy bride and groom!! And the joy didn’t stop there; it was a freaking party after that! And YOU HAVE TO SEE WHAT THEY HAD FOR DESSERT! I highly recommend all couples to hire Rusty for their summer wedding!! Also, Lucille’s BBQ was some of the best food I’ve had a wedding… just sayin’…

To the newlyweds, Mr & Mrs Green,

Witnessing your excitement to marry one another brought so much joy to my heart and it is so apparent in your photos. I hope now you’re laughing at how wild your day must have felt, but trust me, I’ve seen crazier things happen! And I think once you see your ceremony photos, you’ll agree that starting your ceremony late, moving all the chairs back out and your guests out to the lake was the best decision you both made all day, and you made it together. The companionship you displayed on Saturday is a gift and one that will make your love stronger through the years. Thank you for trusting me and allowing me to capture your day and celebrate alongside you as you became husband and wife — it was an honor.

xo, Court

Photography Courtney Rudicel Photography | Venue Cold Springs Resort | Florist Four Seasons Flowers | Bridal Boutique One Fine Day Bridal | Dress Designer Lily Rose | Jewelry & Headpiece Olive & Piper | Shoes David’s Bridal | Bridesmaids Birdy Grey | Groomsmen Mens’ Wearhouse | Hair Erica Leichty | Makeup Hannah Dorion | Catering Lucille’s BBQ | Cake Cakes by Laurie | Live Music Mike Dougherty | DJ Thomas Dent Productions | Ice Cream Truck Rusty’s

Oh my goodness, this was so sweet. Leah, Taylor’s mother, brought out her mother’s bible. And each bride, on her wedding day writes her name, her future husband’s name and their wedding date inside it. These were Taylor’s first tears so I knew it was going to be an emotional day.

OMG Taylor, you are STUNNING.

As soon as these unbelievable portraits of Taylor, Mother Nature gave us a wild shower. And we fought the rain ALL afternoon — from the moment we were supposed to have the first look, to the ceremony start time.

I took a small moment of no rain to carefully walk Taylor and her gorgeous gown out near the lake for a handful of portraits JUST in case we didn’t get another opportunity for the rest of the day and I’m so glad we did!

Then we were back inside until…

..until the skies opened up AT 4:20! And Taylor and Cody’s incredible friends jumped to the scene to get the arbor BACK outside, the venue owner set the chairs BACK up and Bailey, my second shooter, started to guide the guests down to the ceremony without getting them into the slick spots in the yard!

I am a liiiiittle obsessed with this one below — I don’t really know why but I love the colors, the composition, one of my favorite ceremony photos ever.

THEY HAD AN ICE CREAM TRUCK.
Rusty was the coolest dude and his 90’S THEMED ice cream truck rocked my world because I usually have to stop for ice cream after a wedding. His “Magnum P.B.” was BOMB.

Omg, this is Cody’s GREAT GRANDPA. So sweet, Cody’s mom brought him out to get a taste of the dance floor and it was amazing.

just so so sweet, literally made me cry

Such a fun party, such a beautiful day. Thank you Cody and Taylor for trusting me fully with your day and when everyone was pulling you in every different direction. Y’all are actual friends, let’s get drinks soon!