First wedding of the year of 2021 and I have to say if this year follows Courtney and Carson’s wedding…well it is going to be an amazing year. 

I first captured Courtney and Carson at their engagement shoot which I offered in their package, when they told me that they wanted to do their engagement shoot at UP-Down in downtown St Louis area, I was fully committed. My thoughts were that it was so amazing! If you would like to see the engagement shoot click here. 

Now for the wedding day, I thought to myself… 

Self, if they had their engagement shoot at a barcade filled with amazing cabinet arcade classics how in the heck are they going to top that on their wedding day.

Well…THEY DID.

The venue (called The Nobel) was of course gorgeous. With the big vault door and all the little details of a classic bank.

But that is not what made the wedding amazing. 

The food which was chicken and waffles, and then a bunch of snack foods rightfully named the taste of St Louis.

But that is not what made THIS wedding amazing. 

The amazing light, a photographer dreams from every angle imageable. 

But still again NOT what made this wedding amazing. 

Without me spelling it out you already know what made this wedding amazing, it was Courtney and Carson. 

I know what you think, McKinley, you come on here spouting on how your couples are amazing, and you just like to fill their heads with this fluff giving your clients the feel goods. You like to talk them up because you can’t say anything bad about your couples, that would be bad for business. 

Well sure almost all of my couples are amazing, probably because we communicate well and I do everything in my power to serve them on one of the most nostalgic days of their lives. However, Courtny and Carson were different, they were laid back and so cool to just hang out with, I loved their taste in just about everything. 

I still don’t get the shower seat joke. 

They were a hands down an amazing couple and if they weren’t I probably wouldn’t be here writing about them. Haha

I would just deliver the images and video and just be done. 

I am however, sitting here, writing, thinking about all the cool stuff that happened on their big day and everything that makes them a couple. 

So what makes Courtney and Carson amazing, well keep reading. 

Getting ready started in this amazingly lit room upstairs at the Noble, the setup of the room and the light was absolutely perfect, I would not change a thing, and I didn’t, no moving furniture, until I needed it for them to sit on, and no blocking light. PERFECT!

Courtney had all her friends up there, that was closest to her, a mixed bridesmaids party which is awesome. I love that fact that she included friends that weren’t just female. Same with Carson he also included a female in his groomsmen line up. I love when things are different and the couple is not afraid to let their difference shine, tearing them away from the mold of tradition.

Courney was rocking Vans shoes under her wedding dress which was amazing! How cool was it that she has a pair of Vans from her wedding that matches her wedding colors?

Carson was wearing a REAL velvet jacket that was AMAZING! So I had to get images of him putting it on. He also got a gift from the groomsmen, a shower seat. I know there must be a joke there. Haha

After they were both ready we did a first look, kinda, they did not see one another instead Courtney stood upstairs in an amazing window while I staged Carson downstairs to capture this amazing shot. 

The ceremony took place in front of the vault, because the vault is amazing and was a highlight of the venue. 

After the ceremony it was time to reintroduce the couple and have the first dances. All of which amazing, but the highlight had to be that Carson invited his grandmother to the floor first because it was also her birthday. Can you say tear jerker, my wife (also my second shooter) was a mess, she lost it. That is the nostalgic moments I look for in all of my couples. 

Following that was the father daughter dance and the mother son. Which almost wrapped up the night, but there was one more image I wanted to capture for Courtney and Carson. Off to the right of the dance floor was a room with chandeliers and old teller windows. This is where they had their cocktail hour and snacks,  now the room has been cleared out and it is dark outside, perfect for the image I have in mind. 

Now if you know my photography style there is little to no posing. I want my couple to be natural and not feel stiff, if they need direction I will give them subtle cues to put them into a posed look. The idea is for them to be posed without posing making them feel uncomfortable and or stiff.

So I had them dance in a spot, set up my flash and captured the shot, one of my faves from the night! 

After capturing a couple of reception party shots we were all finished with this amazing wedding at The Nobel in St Louis. Congrats to Courtney and Carson and what a beautiful wedding day they had.