Emily and Dan have been planning their wedding for nearly a year. They chose Bellamy Mansion in Wilmington for several reasons. First, it’s an absolutely exquisite example of antebellum architecture. And, the mansion is surrounded by beautiful gardens where the wedding and reception were scheduled to take place. Also, Dan is a Civil War buff – so the history was important. However, the one thing Emily and Dan couldn’t plan was the weather. All day Saturday, June 30th, rain threatened. There would be large, dark clouds one minute – and clear skies the next. At 4:30 when I was driving to Bellamy, it was raining. I expected to find complete chaos, but instead I found caterers busy working, the mother-of-the-bride putting finishing touches on the wedding cake, the bride preparing to dress – and everyone as calm as they ever are a couple of hours before a wedding. We assured Emily that it was good luck when it rains on your wedding day. And we knew that there was still time for the skies to clear before the ceremony.

Emily and Dan decided to see each other before the ceremony so that we could get all the formal portraits out of the way. This is Dan seeing Emily for the first time as she descended the main staircase. Dan had the sweetest expression when he saw Emily in her wedding gown.

And why wouldn’t Dan be happy to see her? Emily was so beautiful it made ME smile. Everything about Emily was perfect – the gown, the veil, the hair, the make-up, the flowers, and probably most of all the cross she wore. Emily’s “something old” had special meaning for Dan’s family. His grandfather gave the cross to his grandmother on the day they were married. Then, Dan’s grandmother gave the cross to Dan’s mother on her wedding day. Dan’s mother placed the cross on Emily just before she started down the stairs.

About an hour before the ceremony was scheduled to begin the rain stopped, so the family made the decision to have the ceremony on the back steps as planned. It was a beautiful place for a wedding. This is the proud father escorting his youngest daughter to Dan.

After the ceremony, I took a few pictures of the entire wedding party. They probably thought I had lost my mind when I stepped into the middle of busy Market Street and stopped traffic so they could cross to the fountain where we wanted to shoot. Thankfully all the motorists were smiling and honking at the newlyweds so nobody got angry. The fountain was a beautiful place to shoot – but it was getting dark quickly and lighting the large group was difficult.

The couple had planned to do their dances on the 2nd floor balcony – but by then it was raining again. So we moved inside. I love this picture of Emily dancing with her father. You can see the love so clearly written on his face – and if you look in the mirror, you can see Emily’s reaction.

Bon Appetit catered the buffet supper. I was so busy I didn’t take the time to eat, but everything looked delicious. I did make it to the dessert table later in the evening and I can vouch for the carrot cake. It was very tasty – and perfect on a hot June night. As people were eating, I heard them talking about how good the chocolate covered strawberries were. But, by the time I made it into the room – there was but one, lonely strawberry left on the platter.

I have to say, one of the high points of the evening for me was listening to the toasts. The Best Man, Matron of Honor, and both fathers made beautiful speeches. There was a lot of laughter and I had tears in my eyes more than once – and so did Emily. Dan was just excited to learn that he is a step closer to getting the Martin secret barbeque recipe!

So all in all, a little rain didn’t dampen the day for Dan and Emily. I believe their wedding was everything they hoped for.