Liz and Daniel's Lauritzen Garden Wedding
Omaha, Nebraska
Liz and Daniel simply had an amazing wedding at the Lauritzen Gardens Omaha. Even though the weather was remarkably hot for a fall wedding in Omaha, Liz, Daniel, their family, and friends powered through it to keep the amazing day happening.
When I first met Liz and Daniel I immediately fell in love with them as a couple. There are hilarious, genuine, thoughtful, and wanted to plan a beautiful wedding with the intent of being present with each other. It's safe to say they made that happen.
Liz and her bridesmaids prepared for the wedding day in her parents home. I love when brides do this. I feel like a home holds so many memories and moments already, that creating more moments within a home is something you and your parents will remember forever. A favorite quote of mine by Mary Anne Radmacher-Hershey says, "May your walls know joy; may each room hold laughter, and may every window open to great possibility."
Liz's hair was set perfectly in place by Mindy McCoy with Avalon Salon, and her makeup was flawless (as always) by one of our favorite makeup artists in Omaha, Christine, at Blush Makeup Artistry. Her dress is one of my favorites EVERY from Rhylan Lang. I'd go as far to say that Liz looked on the outside as she felt on the inside.
Daniel and his groomsmen had a pretty relaxing prep-time at the Hyatt Place Omaha Hotel in Omaha's Old Market. While the guys have a much simpler getting ready process, there's never a shortage of things that need to be done or a shortage of laughter.
One of the things we noticed and fell in love with in the friendships that Daniel and his guys hold, is that they hug. A lot. And that made us smile every time. Every time the guys would spend a little extended time away from each other, they always hugged Daniel every time they came back. It's easy to say that Daniel and Liz's support system in second to none.
Once they both arrived at the Lauritzen Gardens, they arranged for a first look. Tears for days. Emotions for the day were already heightened, but they were completely overwhelmed with love and excitement to see each other. There might not be a better first look than this one.
Once Liz and Daniel were ready for a little bit of portrait time, we headed around the gardens. The gardens were absolutely stunning, albeit hot(ter than hell). For the sake of preventing anyone from melting down completely, we wrapped up early and headed back up to the building to towel off and prepare for their ceremony.
Now, most might be discouraged about portrait time being cut short, however, we're moment photographers. It's what we specialize in and what we love. We strongly feel that a higher power brought the heat to cut us short that afternoon so we would get inside to prepare for one of our favorite moments of the day (and one of the most important).
To be vague, Liz's dad had been quite sick and there had been a lot of unknowns that had popped up throughout the day. We knew that the moment dad arrived it would be absolutely essential to photograph it. While we knew there were several moments throughout the day we wanted to capture, this one was top on our priority list.
As soon as we walked back in the door from our hot portrait time, Liz's mom is walking her husband through the door. Nothing else mattered in that moment. The heat didn't matter, the sweat didn't matter...nothing mattered but dad being their to watch his daughter get married. I think we all needed to take a moment to dry our eyes after that.
Their outdoor ceremony was perfect in every way. Daniel walked down with his parents and was given a loving grip on the arm by every groomsmen that walked down the aisle. Accompanied by a beautiful string quartet, Liz and her dad strolled down with excitement. Daniel even wrote their wedding ceremony which was full of beautiful words and readings.
They repeated their vows to each other with deep breaths and longing stares at each other. Their friends and family cried tears of joy as they watched on, and it was lovely.
Following their ceremony they had a delicious meal by Abraham Catering and the best wedding cake in Omaha by Wheatfields. Admittedly, there's not much I wouldn't do for their Strawberry Wedding Cake. Their DJ, Matt Dietz, played awesome music throughout the night and kept a packed dance floor...especially when that 90's hip hop came on. Obviously, it's hard to resist.
Liz, Daniel, and families...we can't thank you enough for trusting us on such an important day for you all. You "filled our cups" with so much joy and we loved getting to know you! You have so much to look forward to and we're so excited to watch your love grow!
McKenzie + Janine
Other vendors:
Wedding Planner: Occasion Designed
Flowers: Bou•quet Omaha
Rentals: United Rent All
Menswear: BelAir Fashions
Honeymoon: Portland + Acadia, Maine
