Holly & Ryan The Westside Warehouse Wedding

When Holly first talked to me about shooting her and her fiance, Ryan’s Atlanta wedding, to say I was excited was an understatement. Holly and I have been friends for many years, so I knew this process of helping to capture her wedding day would be a fun experience, because Holly and Ryan are a fun couple. The other thing I knew immediately, is that this wedding would be cool! Holly has always had some of the best and most unique sense of style of any one I’ve ever known. It is not over the top to say, this weddding photographers dreams were fulfilled.

Details tend to be my favorite part of any wedding day, and these details did not disappoint! Holly loves color, so the addition of a second more colorful dress only made sense for her! I love that even her engagement ring is so unique! Nothing typical for this couple. Isn’t that how every wedding day should be? Full of details that show off your personality!

Fun fact: Holly and I both love a good sweet treat. A few months before the wedding, I introduced her to the donuts at Five Daughters Bakery, and now we are both huge fans! They made the perfect getting ready snack for a bride and her girls. Bridesmaids are an essential part of helping a wedding run smoothly. These bridesmaids were hard at work making bouquets, that turned out really beautiful! Give me a getting ready space with huge windows for natural light and big antique mirrors anyday!

Ryan had his brothers and some old friends as his groomsmen. They did a great job helping him get ready, especially when it came to getting the bow tie right. As a wedding photographer, I have probably watched more youtube videos, over a groomsmen’s shoulder, of how to tie a bowtie than even would make sense to most people, but these guys didn’t need one. The groomsmen had Ryan looking first look ready in no time!

The first look is always one of my favorite moments of any wedding day! I try hard and make it a nice quiet time with no one else around, so the couple can their moment before all the wedding day hustle and bustle begins. I know that being photographed and looked at all day can be tough on a bride and groom. A private first look can take the pressure off of them for just a little while. And my gosh, could we all be as lucky to find a guy who looks at us the way Holly looks at Ryan? I just love these two together!

As a wedding photographer, I am always on the look out for options when it come to places to take interesting portraits! Holly and Ryan chose a really great Atlanta wedding venue in The Westside Warehouse. This venue provided beautiful and unique indoor and outdoor spaces for a huge variety of couples portraits. Also, can we discuss that red sette? SWOON!!!! Remember when I told you, this was a wedding photographer’s dream? Yes, this is what my dreams are made of!

One of the very first things, that Holly told me was must for their wedding was an adult bounce house! I’ll be honest, I was skeptical because, while I thought the idea was fun, all I could picture are those bright primary colored bounce houses you see at kids birthday parties, and that did not sound like it would make for beautiful wedding photographs. Once Holly sent me Luxe Bounce's instagram account, I quickly changed my tune! The bounce house was the perfect way to show just how fun Holly and Ryan are as a couple! I got in there myself, and man was it a good time! I highly recommend getting a bounce house for your next adult gathering!

Holly and Ryan got married under one of the most beautiful flower arches I’ve ever photographed. The guests were served champagne and cotton candy cocktails as the made their way to their seats. Holly was walked down the aisle by both her father and step father. I love that at weddings we see how all families look and feel different and unique, and each couple gets to showcase the people they love, in their own way! Holly and Ryan’s dogs were also present at the wedding ceremony. They were so cute, watching their mom and dad tie the knot!

Who doesn’t love an outfit change? I know I do! Holly changed into this beautiful pastel dress to ring in the party phase of the wedding day! If you knew Holly, you would know that pastels are a long time love of hers, so this dress was just a perfect way to show off her unique style! We got Tuukka and Minnie in for some portraits, and then took advantage of the beautiful sunset happening outside! I am telling you, if there is a nice sunset on your wedding day, I will be bringing you outside to capture that gorgeous golden light. Paired with the spring greens in bloom, at this spring wedding, could you ask for anything more!

I’ll make a confession, when someone tells me they are going to DIY all of their wedding decor, a small part of me cringes. We’ve all seen the pinterest fails. Holly and her mom, put all of my worries at ease! The details of the reception space were INCREDIBLE! Holly’s mom made ALL of those paper flowers, by hand! I’m not even sure the photographs do them justice, because they were stunning. I loved all of the little touches: the guest book jenga, the love song lyrics on each table, the personalized neon sign, the vintage cake topper, the list goes on and on.

The only word to describe this wedding reception is FUN! It started out with toasts and speeches. Followed by a delicious dinner catered by Woods Chapel BBQ. Then the party really got going with tons of dancing, fireball shots, a conga line, and of course a pinata full of candy! This was the wedding reception that we all want to attend!

Holly and Ryan’s wedding was one of my all time favorite weddings I have ever photographed! It was special to me to be able to capture this wedding for two of my friends! On top of that, this was maybe one of the most unique weddings I have ever been the photographer of. Holly and Ryan really infused their wedding day with their personalities, which brought so much fun and love to the event!

Betsy McPherson