Brianna and Brandon turned lemons into lemonade for their elopement on Saturday! After several big events happening one after another for these two early this year, they decided to cancel their plans for a vow renewal and wedding reception. We had so much fun planning a last-minute alternative plan – a casual getting ready at their parent’s church, photos at their favorite spots with family, a laid-back potluck with lots of laughs and delicious desserts, and sunset photos.
We couldn’t believe how nice the weather was since even that morning, the forecast was calling for a good chance of rain all day. The nice part about Bri and Brandon’s schedule being so laid back and flexible is that we made the call hours before to go with our original plan for Toledo Botanical Garden. We took their engagement photos there and these two love being surrounded by nature. As Brianna put it, “Our connection to nature is one of the strongest parts of our relationship. We love big trees and bold flowers. We love rushing water and weeds up to our knees. We love the mysterious parts of the forest – the bugs under the rock, the fungi on the trees, and the dandelion growing where it shouldn’t be able to.”
These two grew up together. Brandon lived right down the road from Bri and when they were kids, they did all the things that kids do: play dominoes, build snowmen, collect rocks, and “rescue” animals. As Brianna put it, “We’ve been one of the most steady, constant things in each other’s lives. We started dating when we were teenagers and we’ve been together for seven years now.”
We had such a fun time together and I am so glad we got to adventure all day and make this day so special and fun. Congrats, you two! What an amazing celebration!