Sunnie & Taylor’s Elegant Wheeling Wedding

Hi, all! If you remember Sunnie and Taylor’s engagement session (HERE), you KNOW it got me totally pumped up for their wedding at Sarah’s on Main Wheeling followed by a Waterfront Hall reception that actually happened two weekends ago! Their engagement session last year was classy and dreamy and threw back to a 1920’s vibe. These two are kind, sweet, and OOooOO so easy to photograph too! Their wedding was ALL the same! So, please give these two all your Hannah Barlow Photography love! Their wedding is on the blog right now! It’s very “Sunnie and Taylor”…if you know them…you know! So, happy reading and ENJOY!

Lacey was back with us doing her second shooter/assistant thing! It’s been a HOT minute! I hadn’t seen her since April! And that’s just crazy! So, we did what we do best, said our “hellos” while everyone was finishing up with hair and makeup and then got right down to details!

Sunnie’s wedding vibe and feel was more dark, dramatic, classy…so we pivoted from our usual “light and bright” urges and embraced allll the things in this venue! I’m in LOVE with these details!

Then, I ran over to where the men were hanging out and got some getting ready moments with Taylor!

We did some quick scouting for the first look location and then went back up to photograph Sunnie getting ready! Girllllllll…I just KNEW you were going to look fab and I had pictured it…envisioned it…and this was still all that and MORE when I saw you! All the feels…all the squeals…all the things! JUST STUNNING!

I remember when I first met Sunnie’s mom, Joni. I was a nurse. She started at the same hospital right after me and we got paired together. I remember her telling me all about her daughter on those long shifts and it’s just crazy…here we are! Back then, I was an exhausted nurse. Now, I’m a chipper and happy wedding photographer photographing my past coworker’s kids. The world is CRAZY!

I also wore gloves at my own wedding so these photos were EVERYTHING to me (because I didn’t get them myself). We took SO many getting ready photos and I’m not even mad about it!

If there was ever a photo that I needed in my photography life, it was this one below!

Lacey is ALWAYS killing it with the second angles! I don’t even ever know she’s there and doing this and it’s such a fun surprise to come home, start sorting the photos and see all the creative angles she caught at the same time I was doing the photo above!

The lipstick photo was also a “must”! I don’t know…I just envisioned SO much for this wedding and couple and I (selfishly) wanted allllllll the things. I know Sunnie was on board too!

We made the very best of our timeline. We quite literally placed the dads on the way to our first look (for the couple) location! We got those moments and got Sunnie all set up. I ran up to get Taylor and as I tell everyone, “This part of the day happens FAST!”…and it did!

First look time for the couple! Lacey and I, as we always do, tag teamed the different angles while still trying to give the couple their own “private” moment!

Then, while the bridal party was getting to the first floor, we got right down to those bride and groom formals!

I’m telling you…Lacey is always getting those second angles for me!

Then, we went on what I like to call a “field trip”…and the girls quite literally made sure I got those “field trip like” moments. I truly felt like a mom or teacher guiding everyone across the road! HA! I said, “It feels like a Beatles moment”. They didn’t disappoint!

But you know what?! I NEEDED a location that met the vibe of this wedding and I just didn’t feel like the green trees and cloudy sky and riverfront was going to give us what we needed. So, in true Hannah fashion…we used a random location…a parking lot! And VOILA!

Ok. Ok! So, I actually did the ladies first but I wanted a full bridal party photo for the dramatic OOooOo and ahhhhhhhhhh…in a parking lot! IT WORKS! But for real, we actually did the ladies first and as someone who also had champagne and chocolate colors at her wedding…I was LOVINGGGG all of this!

Sunnie…girl…you are gorgeous all the time but as a bride?! STUNNING!!!

Then, I brought the men over and they got their time to shine! I always tell the men to keep their beers for just a few (we got some without too)!

Taylor went ALL IN for his photo moments too!

And…THIS…is when I actually put them all together!

We went back to the venue and I wanted jusssstttttt a few more of the couple before ceremony time!

Then, it was time to head to the ceremony at Sarah’s on Main Wheeling! It was my first time but my good planner friend (Hey, Ashley!) has had lots of weddings there! There was lots of conversation too on how the couple and bridal party would get to the ceremony. What I did not expect as I exited the venue…was the groomsmen taking the city’s rentable scooters to the ceremony! HA! Can you imagine what drivers thought when they saw this? Sunnie says this is very “them” and I LOVE the pure joy of this all! I kid you NOT…I’m going to share this “option” with all my couples now!

What I did NOT do at this point…was take a look at the weather. I got too comfortable (but honestly…there wasn’t much that I could do anyway) and I was too lost in the moments, the photos…etc. to care. So, it started to rain…and rain HARD. The couple and bridal party met me there. I walked right up to Sunnie and asked, “Do you want to see the radar?” and she looked me dead in the eyes and said…”NOPE! There’s nothing we can do…we’re getting married in the rain!” I grabbed my umbrellas. I grabbed my ponchos. We were doing it! Plot twist…the wedding Gods showed up and it stopped raining and we had a “dry” (ish) ceremony! The air was dry…the ground was not…and Sunnie and Taylor embraced it all with the biggest smiles on their faces!

Programs were wet but one guest handed me her dry one when she saw me taking these! So, a little side by side of “reality vs. photo”!

Here comes the bride! Sarah’s on Main Wheeling is actually a cute coffee/breakfast spot for a lot of locals! Sometimes on Saturdays? It’s a wedding ceremony space too!

Sunnie wanted to wear her gloves for the ceremony but we needed to figure out logistics (rings, gloves…how it was all going to work out). I told her to dramatically take them off and hand them to her mom (who had one of the rings) when they did the exchange. NAILED IT.

After the rings were exchanged, they were announced husband and wife!

…and everyone blew bubbles!

After the ceremony, we flew through family formals because we didn’t want to trust the weather and then we went right back to the reception venue to get the party started with DJ Brian Oliver!

He announced the couple and they shared their first dance!

Instead of cutting cake, they poured champagne over a tower!

They requested a group photo!

…and then…the guests got DOWN to business on that dance floor. Brian told me the dance floor was packed ALL NIGHT! I’m nor surprised! This group was pure fun and joy the ENTIRE day!

And that’s it on this wedding! Sunnie and Taylor have been the most kind and easy couple to work with! I have soOOooo enjoyed thinking outside the box and making sure the photos I gave them met their own vision while still being “Hannah Barlow” photos but also…this gallery is GORGEOUSLY STUNNING! OMG! I’m so happy for these two and it was SO nice to see some of my former co-workers (back in my other life when I was a nurse). This wedding was just…great…in all the ways! Huge shoutouts to everyone…the friends, the family, the wedding party…all the guests who said hello! Shoutout to their friend, Bailie Ray, who was the “videographer” for the day! She never stopped. She was so fun and sweet to be around and I THINK she should start her own business (I told her in person too).

So, with all those words I put in here…please give the new Mr. & Mrs. Shane all your Hannah Barlow Photography love and have an AMAZING rest of your week!

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Disclaimer: Hannah Barlow Photography blogs only represent a small portion of photos the couple actually receives in their private gallery.  The blogs are meant to highlight favorite photos and favorite moments of the wedding day and do not represent an entire gallery.

With permission specifically from the couple, galleries can be shared if you wish to view it in its entirely and/or order prints.

info@hannahbarlowphoto.com for more info.

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Vendors

Ceremony Venue – Sarah’s on Main Wheeling

Reception Venue – Waterfront Hall

Setup/Tear Down Coordinator – Plans for Perfection

Planner/Florist – Bride’s Mom (Joni Hooper Wilson)

Bride’s Gown – Sorelle

Bridesmaids’ Attire – Azazie & Birdy Grey

Men’s Attire – Men’s Wearhouse

Hair – Anne Olinski (IG @olinskianne) and Jada Tyler (IG @jada.tyler18)

Makeup – Jaime Hannah (IG @jamiegreenmua)

Videographer/Camcorder Extraordinare – Bailie Ray

DJ – DJ Brian Oliver

Catering – Theos

Stationary – Raegan Patterson (IG @raeganricer)

Officiant – Barry Hall