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Ashley and Peter’s Wedding at Old Hickory Golf Club in Missouri
From the Photographer:
The first time I met with Ashley and Peter was at their engagement session, I normally meet most of my couples for the first time at their engagement session. Peter was kind of shy and timid but again not out of the norm for my grooms, Ashley was very photogenic and brought a neat hat as an accessory, she was a natural in front of the camera.
Photo by McKinley G Photography
Photo by McKinley G Photography
Once the wedding day arrived I got to meet all of Ashley’s ladies. We had a great time at the salon joking around and just having fun. My wife then showed up as my second photographer and we started to get to work on capturing the start of the day.
After we left the salon we headed to the venue, on our drive in we got to see the setup for the ceremony. It was outdoor and kinda wooded, as soon as we saw it we knew it was going to be amazing!
Photo by McKinley G Photography
We arrived at the venue and brought all of our gear in and met with Ashley and planned how we would get her down to the ceremony site and where we would be. At the same time, Peter contacted us and said that he had arrived. I left Megan (my wife and second) with Ashley and went to find Peter.
Peter had less to photograph while getting ready. I captured a few images of just him then we moved on to his groomsmen shots on one of the greens at the venue. From there it was a short walk over to the ceremony location.
Photo by McKinley G Photography
Photo by McKinley G Photography
Photo by McKinley G Photography
Ashley and Peter did something a little unique for their ceremony, but I am getting ahead of myself. One of my favorite things about Ashley’s bridesmaid dresses was that they were all different colors and very vibrant. That addition was awesome, I love little changes like that. As Ashley approached, Peter could no longer contain himself and started to cry, grooms showing emotion is so amazing. That moment is one I think every photographer should look for. The unique thing I mentioned earlier was a hand-tying which I have never seen before. I had heard of it once or twice, but seeing it was so awesome I love seeing new things at ceremonies!
Photo by McKinley G Photography
At the end of just about every wedding, I photograph I ask the couple if they would like to take one more image together to close their night. It makes for a great last ending page in their album and most of the time is one of my favorite images of the day. So we went to one of the mounds outside the venue on the course and grabbed an epic final image for Peter and Ashley. I must say it was an absolute pleasure working with these two!
From the Couple:
Peter works at Boeing and Ashley is a nanny, we live in Saint Peters MO but Peter is originally from Miami FL.
We met when Ashley was the manager of a frozen yogurt shop in Saint Charles MO. Peter would stop in all the time, nearly every day, and we got to know each other over time. Ashley thought at first that Peter just really liked frozen yogurt, but when he came in twice in one day, she knew there was something more.
Photo by McKinley G Photography
Photo by McKinley G Photography
We found our venue on TheKnot app, and after visiting and meeting with the coordinator, we knew it was the right place for us. Great prices, great views, and great food. Old Hickory Golf Club is just amazing. Highly recommend it.
Photo by McKinley G Photography
We knew that we prefer an outdoor ceremony combined with an indoor reception. Something with the changing leaves and cool crisp fall air. Ashley went with a “fall jewel-toned” color palette for the girls and a more casual and loose look for the guys. We really focused on the fall aspects. It’s our favorite season.
Photo by McKinley G Photography
We found nearly all of our suppliers on TheKnot app, or through preferred vendors from the venue.
Ashley created all the centerpieces at the reception on her own, even hand-painting the vases. Michaels, hobby lobby, and Pinterest were a huge help. The ceremony flowers were from Etsy. The decor at the beginning of the aisle was all put together by Ashley. Even the small floral arrangements on the end of the aisle chairs were done by Ashley.
Ashley and Peter planned everything themselves and had help on the actual day from the coordinator. The coordinator was very helpful with the catering (which was provided on-site), the decor setup on the day, and the walking cues during the ceremony. We had a 2-year engagement, but the planning really only took about 8 months.
The rest was waiting for the venue to schedule the food tasting, rehearsal, etc. The food tasting was 6-8 weeks out from the wedding, the rehearsal was within the same week of the wedding. We were able to drop off all the decor within 48 hours before the big day. Ashley was even able to print out photos of her decor set up exactly how she wanted, and they were used as references.
Ashley worried about things being set up how she envisioned, which wasn’t an issue at all. Peter says he wasn’t worried at all, just ready to marry the love of his life.
Ashley only wishes they had more time to enjoy the day and more time to sit and enjoy the food. Peter says the day was totally perfect.
Our advice would be to have a long engagement and have some DIY projects. Ashley enjoyed every minute of prepping and creating custom decor. Choose your venue first so that you can have the backdrop in mind when picking everything else.
Want to read more of our latest posts? Check out our short guide on selecting an outdoor wedding venue.
