Washington, a small town located not far from Lafayette, is somewhere I’ve never photographed a wedding before and this year, I’ve already been there twice!  Emily and Christian’s Immaculate Conception Church of Washington wedding was the first, back in September.  Immaculate Conception is a beautiful little white church that burned down several years ago and was recently rebuilt.  I immediately fell in love with this church – Emily described it as “bright and cheery” which is exactly right.

Emily’s mom contacted me earlier this year about photographing the wedding because it had to be rescheduled due to the pandemic.  Their original photographer couldn’t do the new date and fortunately, I was available.  I can’t imagine the stress and anxiety that couples and their families have gone through this last year!

The day started out a little rocky when it started pouring right as Emily was heading to the church.  Thankfully, the rain stopped during the ceremony and Emily was able to get all of the photos at the church that she wanted.  Emily and Christian have so many special people in their lives and I love that they did several special dances with them at their Washington Community Center Reception.  Grandparents and siblings even got their own dances with the bride and groom!  Another tradition I’ve seen more in the last few months is having both the bride’s father and grandfather walk her down the aisle – so sweet!

There’s a tradition around here that I had never heard of until 10 years ago during one of my first Houma weddings.  When a younger sibling marries before an older one, the unmarried sibling dances with a mop at the reception.  I’m not sure if this is a South Louisiana thing or not, but I’ve only seen it a handful of times and it’s always a lot of fun.  Several people took turns dancing with the mop which made for some great photos.

Our coverage ended with the largest sparkler exit that I’ve ever photographed – I couldn’t believe the amount of people they had!   And because they had the long sparklers, they had plenty of time to get some great exit photos, including the one seen below!

Emily and Christian – it was great to meet you both and to share in your happiness and all of the fun you had with your family and friends.  Thank you for choosing me to capture this day!