Allison and Brooklyn’s joyful, intentional, community-filled wedding

I am so excited to share Allison and Brooklyn’s incredible wedding pictures with you today. I met Allison and Brooklyn some time ago through mutual friends and now am lucky enough to call them friends of my own! 

I was fortunate enough to do a couples session with Allison and Brooklyn back in 2019 and still adore those pictures so much. I think you can really feel in those pictures just how much love they have for each other! There’s something really special about them -- to spend any time with them as a couple is to feel this deep sense of exuberant, raw joy. They are so tangibly happy to be crafting a life together. Especially as a photographer, to see them interact is to see their connection, their awareness and joy at how special their love is, and their reverence for the relationship they’ve created. They have deep intentionality and values within the lives they share, and they are so passionate about their communities, justice in all of its forms, and spirituality. 

Allison and Brooklyn met through friends in Minneapolis! After becoming friends themselves, they fell in love with each other and began growing a beautiful romantic relationship. They spent a period of time together in Minneapolis before moving to New York for a bit. 

Allison is originally from Tennessee and Brooklyn is originally from South Dakota, so the question of where to have their wedding came up pretty quickly during their wedding planning! They have community and loved ones in so many different places. They ended up deciding to have their wedding in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where Brooklyn is from. 

They had to shift their plans a number of times during covid and ending up celebrating their wedding in 2021 with a smaller group of people (family and a small number of friends, about 40-50 people in total). They were so excited to have a liturgy wedding day with cherished members of their communities. 

Allison and Brooklyn’s legal ceremony day

About a week before their wedding, Allison and Brooklyn had a legal ceremony in Minnesota, in the backyard of the home they just purchased! Their parents were present, and it was a relaxed, happy day and a really lovely first chapter of their wedding celebrations. 

The day of their ceremony, I arrived at Allison and Brooklyn’s house and they excitedly gave me a tour of their new home! They showed me the little altar that they had set up in their backyard with meaningful art and important pieces from different parts of their lives. Brooklyn’s mother had painted a sign with their names on it, which was such a sweet decoration!

Their guests sat in chairs under the trees and sunshine while two Unitarian Universalist officiants presided. They had a sweet ceremony full of singing, shared words, and a ritual where the couple, their parents, and the officiants took sunflowers and put them into a shared vase while reading a bit of poetry. It was super moving and beautiful! After the ceremony, everyone blew bubbles and cheered! 

Allison and Brooklyn’s liturgy wedding day

I arrived in South Dakota on Allison and Brooklyn’s liturgy wedding day and started out by visiting Brooklyn as she got ready at her childhood home. She was surrounded by her mother and a few friends who were doing her hair and makeup and then got into her wedding dress. It was such a special moment -- her friends were cheering her on, and you could just tell how happy she felt! She also wore a really sweet veil that her mother had worn at her own wedding in the 80s, which was super special.

Next, I went to meet Allison and her bridal party at The Summit Events Hall. Allison was already in her wedding dress and absolutely glowing as her friends helped her touch up her makeup. Some members of the bridal party were wearing dresses and others were wearing pants, suspenders, and these incredible pink bow ties that Brooklyn had knit! 

Earlier that morning, Allison had found a note that Brooklyn had written and snuck into one of her bags. I got to watch Allison tear up as she read this loving note from Brooklyn, which was such a sweet moment. 

I got a few pictures of Allison with her wedding party up on the balcony outside their getting-ready space, and then we headed to Terrace Park Japanese Garden for Allison and Brooklyn’s first look. It was a super sweet first look! It really took me back to the photos I first took of them two years ago, when they were just basking in each other’s happiness and sharing so much joy together. We also walked through the garden and got a few pictures near a river that flowed through the park. 

After taking some pictures of Allison, Brooklyn, and their incredibly fun bridal party, their friends left and I took a couple more portraits of the brides together. We headed to meet their family at the church for a few photos before the ceremony. Then everybody headed into the church to take a deep breath, hydrate, and get ready for the ceremony. I took a few candid pictures as guests came into the church, and my second shooter and partner, Tyler, took a few candid pictures of the wedding party and the couple as they prepared for the liturgy.

We moved into Allison and Brooklyn’s wedding liturgy, which was so intentionally created and super special. Allison and Brooklyn love liturgy. They love the ritual, the sacrament, and the holiness of so many parts of religious services, and they had so much fun creating their wedding and planning their wedding ceremony! They pulled parts from many religious traditions that are a part of their lives. They changed the language to reflect their values; there were a lot of elements of social justice woven into their readings and their ceremony, they washed each others’ feet, and they also served their guests communion. 

One of my favorite parts of Allison and Brooklyn’s ceremony was a ritual that they created with water. They had their loved ones help them collect water from different important places to them, including Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis, a river in Tennessee where Allison is from, a spot in South Dakota where Brooklyn is from, and other places where they’d traveled and lived. They poured this water into a communal bowl, and then the water was used to bless the couple and their guests (and it's the water they used to wash each others’ feet, too). 

Their ceremony was over an hour and a half long, but every piece of it was intentional and deeply full of meaning! Every moment of it felt so, so special -- it was beautifully crafted and I really hope that comes across in their pictures. 

After the ceremony, Allison and Brooklyn exited the church as their guests piled outside and blew bubbles! The couple walked into Brooklyn’s father’s Model T Ford, and he drove them away. They were completely glowing with happiness as their guests cheered -- it was such an incredibly sweet moment. 

Tyler and I followed them in our car, and we headed into downtown Sioux Falls where the river flows through. There’s a sculpture called the Arc of Dreams that we took a few really happy pictures in front of. 

Back at The Summit Events Hall, Allison and Brooklyn entered the reception space and started their first dance right away (which was such a fun twist on a reception entrance)! Instead of doing parent dances, they involved their whole families and did a really fun dance with their parents and siblings. They had what they referred to as a “guac-tail hour” where everyone enjoyed snacking on chips and guacamole while Allison and Brooklyn chatted with their guests. 

We moved into dinner, which was catered by Allison and Brooklyn’s favorite taqueria in Sioux Falls! Allison, Brooklyn, and I snuck out for some sunset pictures at Falls Park (which is where the falls of Sioux Falls are)! There are some really cool rock formations, and the little patch of light coming through the sky was so beautiful. 

After sunset pictures, Allison and Brooklyn returned to the reception and enjoyed super touching toasts from friends and family. Then they danced the night away surrounded by the people they love! It was such a wonderful way to end their liturgy wedding day. 

Allison and Brooklyn, it was such an honor to photograph your love again -- this time, as you got married! I have absolutely cherished every time I’ve gotten to photograph you and the amazing love that you share together. Thank you so much for allowing me to witness and document this new chapter you’re beginning! I am so grateful for your friendship and the incredible way you model how beautiful love can be.