As a Quad Cities wedding photographer, I love to see how each of my couples envisions their wedding day and then executes with such amazing concepts and ideas.  This is a definitely a wedding you can use as inspiration.  This couple planned everything perfectly.  Every single detail was magical and stunning.

We started out at the couple’s house where the bride and all her bridesmaids were getting ready.  Let me tell you, this bride has the best style which made for such great backdrops for her all her getting ready pictures.  The natural light and rustic decor was a great setting for all of this!

We then headed off to St. Ambrose University where this couple met and even named their fur baby after one of the campus buildings!  And yes, we made sure to get this sweet pup in some of the pictures!!  We did a first look with the bride and her father.  This one always tugs at my heartstrings no matter how many times I see this.  There’s nothing more special than having a dad see his daughter in her wedding dress.  Even the toughest of dads get a little weepy.  Then we did a first look with the bride and groom, and his expression….well you’ll see below….PRICELESS!

Next was the ceremony where they exchanged their vows and declared their love for one another.  It was so romantic and sweet, and the church was absolutely gorgeous!  The exit out of the church was super cute with a ribbon display to whisk them out the door and down an aisle to the trolley.

The reception was held at one of my absolute favorite locations to photograph just south of the Quad Cities; Parker Run Vineyards – The Big Red Barn.  Between the gorgeous vineyards, the stunning barn, and the most beautiful open country sunsets you’ll set your eyes on, it’s truly one of my favorite places to create magical portraits for my couples.  Just check out some of the images below to see just how beautiful it really is.  Oh, and did I mention they happened to have a litter of puppies that were playing while we were there?!?!?  Yep, they let us incorporate them into a few of the pictures with the bridesmaids which turned out so sweet!

So with all this being said, please take a minute or two to browse through some of my favorite images from their day and leave the couple some love in the comments section below!  Please also check out the vendor list as the day was pretty perfect and the vendors always play a key role in making your vision come to life.

Vendor List:

• Ceremony Site:  Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church – Bettendorf, IA
• Reception Venue:  The Big Red Barn at Parker Run Vineyards – New Windsor, IL
• Wedding Planner:  Christy Schilling – MC Event Design
• Bride and Bridesmaids Dresses:  Storybook Ending – DeWitt, IA
• Groom’s Attire:  The Backroom Clothing – Des Moines, IA
•  Floral Design:  Mary Heiar
• Caterer:  Famous Dave’s – Davenport, IA
• Cake:  Olde Towne Bakery – Moline, IL
• Rentals:  AAA Rental
• DJ/Music:  Twisted Mics

Amanda Oakes Photography is a full service photography studio offering quality service and experiences paired with fine art prints, canvas gallery wraps, luxury albums, and many other heirloom items.

Amanda Oakes Photography is a Quad Cities wedding photographer who also specializes in newborn, family and children photography, engagement and wedding photography, and maternity photography. This includes photography services in the Moline, IL, Rock Island, IL, Davenport, IA, Bettendorf, IA, Muscatine, IA and the greater Quad Cities area.