Yorklyn, Delaware Wedding Photographer | Private Home | Si + Tanard

Si and Tanard’s wedding was not your normal wedding. Their wedding spread over two days and had one primary focus: fun! Given what I saw when I met them for their engagement session, this was no surprise to me.

A small group of guests were invited out to the family’s farm, Seven Oaks, for a “dress rehearsal” that Friday night.  They were told that formal pictures would be taken then so they should dress up.

What they did not tell them was that Friday wasn’t a dress rehearsal at all – it was the actual ceremony. The elated and emotional couple chose to do a first look that day for some uninterrupted time that would allow them to mingle with friends and family later.

I love having time for images like these!

The guests arrived and saw this… A beautiful drink station, a harpist, hay bales with a ceremony setup, a fire pit on the property constructed as a wedding gift, a delicate floral arrangement in a metal fixture that was found in the family’s barn, and many more spectacular details.

The light was incredible though the day did get cold pretty quickly. The ceremony was set against the backdrop of fields and a golden sunset.

The family’s two pugs, Tabor and Digby, were also included though they seemed slightly irreverent about the whole thing.

Si made faces at Tanard to keep him from tearing up. She wanted to jump up and down during the vows.  The minister’s sermon focused on the most important thing in a relationship: forgiveness. This was the same minister who married her parents 44 years ago and her sister 9 years ago.

Immediately post-kiss:

It was a intimate and fun and beautiful. The group moved to the Columbus Inn in Wilmington for celebratory drinks and dinner.

The guest list multiplied the next day as even more friends and family arrived for a great big party.

The newlyweds were announced to the group and they went right into dancing in the barn. Their first song was “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz.

Again, the décor was extraordinary. Nikki and the team of LovelyGirls Weddings + Events really outdid themselves! There were flourishes at every turn – floating picture frames, green and Duke blue ribbons, custom menus and napkins, loved ones memory display, striped straws, hay bale lounges.

Tanard and his mother danced an emotional dance together and then Si and her father really got the party going.

The Oh, snap! Studio was well used that evening.

There was even a birthday cake and rousing birthday serenade for Matt’s 25th.

At the end of the night I read the engraving they had put on each others’ rings. Si’s ring had “looking forward to being in love with you for the rest of our lives together”. Tanard’s ring read, “she is love and she is all I need”. Such an great weekend and such a fabulous way to start a life together!

I won’t give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I’m giving you all my love
I’m still looking up
~ Jason Mraz, “I Won’t Give Up”