I knew I was going to have fun with Leah and Dan as soon as they contacted me. Sometimes you can just tell someone’s personality through an email or a phone call, and these two are some of the most genuine people I’ve met. And their love is so obvious it kind of smacks you upside the head! We met up last Halloween for their engagement pictures and had way too much fun and I’ve been looking forward to their big day ever since!

They had a lot of really great details in their wedding, things that were truly important to them. They got married in the church that Dan grew up in, married by his pastors, and according to his mother, “the groom’s cake was made by the lady that potty-trained him”. So there was a lot of love and longtime friendships that made the day possible. Leah and Dan met as students at the University of Florida and both being active members in their campus chapter of the International Justice Mission – their favors were bookmarks representing a donation made on behalf of each guest to the IJM. Leah and all of her bridesmaids wore Tom’s shoes – a One for One shoe company that donates a pair of shoes to every child in need with each pair purchased. I could go on and on….but I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

Ceremony: First Presbyterian Church of Dunedin
Reception: Bon Appetit Restaurant
Floral Design: The Bride’s Bouquet – Debbie Welch
Bridal Cake: Chantilly Cakes
Groom’s Cake: family friend (I’ll get her info!)
Disc Jockey: Robert Sword with Sword Sounds
Videographer: Cara Lewis of Hearts Video
Hair and Makeup Artist: Dena from the Michele Renee Hair & Makeup Group
Second Shooter: again, my good friend Jackie from Ihnenfeld Photography

Leah wanted unique wildflower bouquets and I really love what her florist came up with! Her bouquet was wrapped with lace from her mother’s wedding dress:

The super cute Tom’s shoes that Leah wore and got for all her bridesmaids. That’s a lot of shoes donated to children in need!

Beautiful Bride:

I snuck back to see Dan before the ceremony and took a few pictures of him, then we invited his dad to join him. I almost felt like I was intruding on a special moment as Dan got a little choked up and got a hug and a laugh from his dad. I had to get out of there cause my eyes were watering….

Thanks to my friend Terri Smith for the inspiration for this one!

Their ceremony was really sweet and I especially loved the part where they had a chance to pause and look around at the congregation filled with their friends and family:

Possibly the goofiest group of guys ever. Most of their suits came with suspenders, so we couldn’t resist doing an “Urkel” impression:

We took pictures around the church and every little nook and cranny had a special meaning to Dan. I believe this little courtyard commemorates some of his deceased family members:

Loads of fun details:

Dan and his mom did something fun for their “Mother/Son Dance”. Instead of slowly swaying they immediately jumped in Twist and Shout by the Beatles and invited everyone to join them! It was super cute and the dance floor filled up fast!

The Groom’s Cake was one of a kind. It was a globe with a “Legend of Dan” that showed where he was born, where he met Leah, went to school, missions trips he’s been on, etc.

They had a double seater, tandem bike theme throughout the day, so the perfect getaway vehicle was a surrey driven by their friends!

Me and my buddies:

And me and Jackie being silly. Those mirrored walls came in handy when we needed a picture of ourselves!