the one with Kelcee + Kaleb, a wedding at St. Joseph Church in Slaton

Look at these two up there! How happy are they? They had both just walked down the aisle at the start of their wedding and the deacon was welcoming the guests and these two were BEAMING! Just ready to be married!!! Kelcee and Kaleb are hometown sweethearts. They grew up here in West Texas and never really knew each other. I asked Kelcee a couple of questions about their wedding and here’s what she said.

What made you choose your wedding location? We chose the location (St. Joseph Church in Slaton, Texas) of our wedding because it was the same church that both of our parents got married in! 

Three words to describe your wedding: relaxed, blessing, and perfect!

Our first dance was to “Yours” by Russell Dickerson. While the song is written from the perspective of the male, the lyrics describe exactly how Kaleb and I felt prior to meeting one another, and how we feel after having met. 

"The best me has his arms around you
You make me better than I was before
Thank God I'm yours”

Who officiated your wedding? Deacon Leroy Behnke officiated our wedding. We chose him because Kaleb has known him his entire life and describes Leroy as one of the most holy, Christ-like humans he has ever met. Deacon Leroy played a huge role in Kaleb’s spiritual life growing up, and I was fortunate to have met Leroy once Kaleb and I started dating. The love, faith, and marriage that Leroy and Pat have is what Kaleb and I want for our future, and we are fortunate to have had them be a part of our ceremony. 

What inspired us when planning our wedding, was that the main focus would be around God! He is the reason for everything in this world, including the reason we found one another. We wanted the ceremony to be centered around Christ, to set the foundation for the rest of our marriage. 

Let’s chat about vendors you chose for your wedding. For vendors, we or our family did most of it ourselves! I would love to feature Ashley Rainwater though. She is the one who did my hair. It was exactly what I wanted and stayed in tact the whole night….even after all the dancing! :)

Ashley Rainwater- Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ashley.white.98871

She’s totally right you know. Just have a look at all these wedding photos.

Let’s talk about this dress, shall we? Kelcee knew she wanted something simple and had this dress in mind. A high-lo hem and something gorgeous yet comfortable for a wedding. #NAILEDIT Just look at that detail!

Allergic to flowers? No problem. Just make your own. AND SHE DID! Such a gorgeous keepsake that just happened to be her wedding bouquet. No she did not toss this one at the reception. LOL

When she said they did their own wedding she meant it. From decor to makeup, this girl DID HER OWN WEDDING. Okay, so you’ll see some cakes later that I know she didn’t bake. But the rest? HER.

Miss Keilie there is Kaleb’s sister and she grew up with my girl’s. It made the day all the more special for me to be a part of, having her in front of my camera.

Lots of fun moments in the bride’s room getting ready. Okay, I’ll pitch myself a bit here. Many photographers schedule the day around them and that’s fine. Hours of portraits and not much prep. Mainly details. I’m fine with that. I truly am! I love details as much as the next girl and photographing them is super fun. I mean, that bouquet? Yep. But there’s so much that goes on in your day that gets missed if your photographer is only concentrating on those. Moments between you and your girls, mom, etc. Hiring a documentary photographer her know how to anticipate those moments and be there to capture them is so important. THOSE are the images you are going to love years from now. Not the detail ones. I promise.

back rubs are necessary at weddings. Just saying.

No onions involved in the making of this photos.

The church hall is just across the street. Kelcee sneaked a peek before getting into her dress.

proof that I shoot details.

something about a girl getting dressed and finishing the details is just so pretty and graceful.

I have a sister. I know how this hug feels.

boys will be boys

Kaleb walked down the aisle with his mom and dad and waited for Kelcee with them. It’s such a great moment and is so true of the “giving away” process. I know sometimes it can be all about the bride, but there’s two people getting married today. TWO.

The ceremony was the prefect mix of seriousness and fun. So much joy in that church that day! So happy for these two!

Showing off the goods!

The moments right after the ceremony are THE BEST! I love them so!!!

This is a lot of Bednarz girls in one place. Jane, Sydni, and my two. That’s the best part about home town weddings. You get to see all your favorite folks in one place celebrating.

Kelcee told the story about how they met. They knew each other through their parents. Or knew of each other. But to let Kaleb know she was interested took a bit longer. It involved gum and facebook. Super cute story and they had gum there for everyone!

Kelcee sister, Kristin gave a great speech and then it was followed by Kaleb’s cousin.

Make ‘em laugh and cry. That’s my motto for a good wedding speech. Nothing too saucy, of course.

It’s always important to photograph the guests at a wedding. Not just the key players, like family and wedding party. The guy above on the left? That’s Alex and he worked for us when we were Take One Video. Great guy and looks like a nice one as well. Hello pretty girlfriend!

The bride’s grandparents led the Grand March. It’s one of my favorites at a wedding!!!

Keep scrolling for loads of fun dance pictures!!!

and then it was just the two of them in the middle. LOVE!

All the normal activity at a wedding reception ensued. And then, afterwards, the bride changed into shorts and a tshirt and danced her little BOOTY off! Not even lying!!! So much dancing and fun ensued that everyone was winded, out of breath and LOVIN’ every second of it!!!

groom and his sister saying Good Bye before he left for his honeymoon.

and then they left.

I know I got on my soap box a bit in that gallery post, but it’s something I feel strongly about. Weddings have gotten to be so much of the same. There’s always a bride and groom. There’s a ceremony, many times outside of the church, and there’s a celebration of some sort. It’s been that way since Jesus changed the water into wine. The people involved are different and uniquely created so your wedding will be different solely because of who is involved. No one dances like you, (or your dad) and no one has the family you have. Try not to stress about the details so much. Hire someone who knows how to handle their gear and any lighting situation and most of all, knows how to document the good stuff. You do that, you’ll LOVE your wedding photos!!

Here’s what Kelcee sent me after she had the chance to view her photos…

Kristin,
The pictures are INCREDIBLE!! Kaleb and I just got the chance to look at all of them, and they are beautiful. Thank you for being a part of our special day and capturing memories that will last forever.

Love does,
Kristin