Nate and Emily | Married - White Hawthorn Photography

June 19, 2020 was Nate and Emily's wedding day! The day started off as a lovely summer day; not too hot, partly cloudy and perfect for pictures!

On this post I am going to share how the day looked through my camera lens as I witnessed rain and shine, tears of joy and the blessed relief of having it all finally come together!

Emily's dress was stunning!
Emily's flowers were amazing!

- First Look -

After eating a nice lunch at church the wedding party headed up to Viestenz-Smith Mountain Park for pictures. On the way up we noticed heavy clouds and were hoping to get pictures in before the rain. We got a couple shots of Nate and Emily by the cute little stone chapel.

Immediately after these pictures the rain came....and the lightning... and thunder.... Thankfully there was a little log cabin shelter we could hang out in and stay dry while it continued to downpour. After the rain lightened up I busted out some umbrellas that I hastily purchased in case this situation came up. (Literally 2 days before I was checking the weather and ordered them from Amazon, thankfully they got here in time.)

Guys, pictures after the rain, especially in the mountains, are amazing. Everything is so rich with color.

At this point it was still raining a little bit, but rain didn't stop this wedding party! They climbed down river banks and balanced on rocks to get the shots I asked for.

This park is beautiful at any time of the day, but looking up the canyon after the rain, it was stunning. I really think the crazy weather made these pictures perfect.

Finished with pictures in the mountains we went on back to church to take pictures with family and the rest of the wedding party. But first Emily had to see her dad. I wish you all could have seen this in person!!

As with all things COVID, Nate and Emily had to change a few things about their wedding. The number of people allowed to attend the ceremony, the location of the reception, she even had to get a replacement wedding dress! A normal wedding is a lot of work to plan, but a COVID wedding is downright stressful!

They pulled it off. I really think this wedding was so special because of all the hiccups and changed plans. It also teaches us that we are not in control, God is!

You had to have been there, these were the most tear jerking, beautiful, and laugh out loud funny vows I have ever witnessed.

Look at the joy on their faces! Talk about an emotionally taxing day all mixed in with the happiness of finally being married!

Nate and Emily opted for a small reception with their closest family and friends. I think it turned out better than originally planned, and the best part is that they were able to celebrate with people they love surrounding them.