by Scott Johnson
In between all the Oscar hype, the Super Bowl madness, Impeachment craze and everything else in the world going on right now (RIP Kobe), we are lucky to capture moments of happiness and joy. Case in point: the Champeaux wedding from back in September. A long-awaited day, as we mentioned before, the bride became pregnant before we were originally supposed to film their wedding day. Now, with an even bigger family in tow, we were amped to finally spend the day over at Craven Farms with them. Let’s go “Behind the Scenes” and take a deeper look into the Champeaux Wedding!
September 7, 2019
At the age of 9, Natalie met Beau at a 4th of July party. Beau showed up with a bag of bottle rockets and sparklers, something that would echo years down the road, and a few kids later, as they would be sent off into a whole new chapter of their life in much of the same way. In keeping with the theme of childhood nostalgia, Craven Farms was selected for that exact reason…Natalie has gotten her Halloween pumpkins there every year!
Bright and early would describe this wedding compared to some of our other recent ones: 9am was when the bride and groom would arrive to the venue. We would show up at 11:30, after the florist (Victoria Crenshaw of Pollen in Love) and hair/makeup got underway. Along with Meg McGee of Back Country Imagery, we started getting shots of the bride and groom getting ready.
After a couple hours of getting ready, the first look kicked off at 2. The wonderful Craven Farm, which can fit a max of 300 people, only stops the weddings in the fall and part of winter so that they can accommodate all of the children eager to grab their pumpkins. They have a rainy day backup, knowing the Pacific Northwest’s unpredictable tendencies, but the Champeauxes lucked out!
Photos would only last for about an hour and a half before the bride and groom were tucked away. Jeremy of Blue Beatz Entertainment got set up while we were getting doing portraits and by 4 it was time for the main event.
Keeping the officiant in the family, John Seehuus III did a marvelous job keeping the mood light but poignant. By 4:30 there was a new husband and wife, and the family officially became one. While they scurried off to relax for a bit, Kenny and Rae of 2 ½ Men BBQ got some delectable food ready.
Almost two hours later, following the toasts, cake-cutting and a full meal, the dancing began. Golden hour photos were also accounted for, and after three hours of partying with Blue Beatz, the guests sent off the newlyweds with a tunnel of sparklers!
Thank you once again to Natalie and Beau for choosing Best Made Videos® to film their wedding day! Have any questions or comments? Want to cast a vote for your Favorites of 2019? Let us know below!
Photographer – Back Country Imagery