Whelp, folks. Today’s wedding is a perfect combo of precisely those two things. Our incredibly talented Roya shot Mal + Zach’s wedding outside of Chicago, and if this wedding looks familiar, it’s because it is currently featured on the J.Crew website (Mal’s dress was one of theirs!) Super cool, huh?! They also got married and had their reception at venues that are also nature preserves, which gave Roya TONS of amazing opportunity for some really beautiful, organic, nature-y kind of shots.

If you read our post yesterday, you heard about the “first glance”. Mallory and Zach took advantage, and as you’ll see – the result was tons of time for these amazing couples portraits. Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow – it’s up to your eyeballs in DIY wedding inspiration and creative details. You’ll love!  PS – Amazing vendor links at the bottom!

Photog: Roya; Ceremony Venue: Fullersburg Woods Nature Center; Florist: Fifty Flowers (online); Dress: J.Crew; Accessories: BHLDN

But for now…on to Part 2! Here in the OLAS offices, we all spend many hours of our day swooning and ooooohing and aaaahhing over the beautiful, beautiful photos we work with all day. When I showed our team the photos below, everyone commented on how stunning the couples photos are, and how Jessica + Jon look so peaceful, calm, and relaxed.  They do, don’t they?

Well, I played a little trick on you all (but don’t be mad!) In Part 1, we saw beautiful individual photos of Jessica, Jon, and their ceremony, and you’re about to see some GORGEOUS couples photos below.  The truth is that this post isn’t totally chronological – Jessica + Jon took these AMAZING couples photos before their ceremony! Our OLAS clients will often times hear us talk about a “first glance,” which allows the couple some time together BEFORE the ceremony with their photographer. We find it often results in some really sweet intimate time between our couples, and our brides and grooms are able to relax and enjoy the photography process, without worrying about running to their reception! We totally think it shows in these photos….

We love you Jessica + Jon! xoxo (Don’t forget to see a list of all of their vendors at the bottom of the post!)

Photographers: Carla and Jen; Ceremony Location: First Christian Church of Augusta;  Reception: The Richmond on Greene; Wedding Director: Once Upon A Wedding; Florist: Garden Cottage Florist; Headpiece: Mayra’s Veils; Cake: Dianna Tornow Cakes; Invitations and Monogram: Papercake Designs;  Shoes by: Christian Louboutin; Dress by: Alvina Valenta purchased at The House of the Bride; Hair By: Fringe Hair Salon; Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale purchased at The House of the Bride; Caterer: Roux’s; Band: Reunion

1 – For all you DIY-ers, use a Day-Of Director: Jessica and her mom are SUPER creative and handled all of the DIY details throughout the entire planning process.  Because they were so hands-on before the wedding, they knew they wanted to relax and enjoy their hard work on the wedding day.

2 – If you rock an amazing headpiece, make sure to keep everything else simple: We are all OBSESSED with Jessica’s headpiece. Seriously obsessed. She knew she wanted to go all Sex In The City for her headpiece (you know…big/feathers/dramatic), and had hers handcrafted for her by Mayra’s Veils. The reason we think she wore this piece SO well is partly because she let that be the statement piece, and kept everything else simple (her jewelry, hair, dress, veil). We LOVE and think she pulled it off perfectly.

3. Buy shoes you love, that you’ll actually wear again. Most of us on OLAS world did NOT take this advice, and wore lame weddingish shoes that haven’t seen the light of day since. Not Jessica. She was hoping to buy her first pair of Louboutin’s, and then saw this green pair that was perfect with her wedding colors….and the rest is history! We’d be willing she’s worn these a few times since then.

4. Think outside the box for Save the Dates! Jessica and Jon had these SUPER cute “tickets” designed for their guests for Save the Dates by Papercake Designs, as well as a custom monogram. Love this idea!

Photographers: Carla and Jen; Ceremony Location: First Christian Church of Augusta;  Wedding Director: Once Upon A Wedding; Florist: Garden Cottage Florist; Headpiece: Mayra’s Veils; Invitations and Monogram: Papercake Designs;  Shoes by: Christian Louboutin; Dress by: Alvina Valenta purchased at The House of the Bride; Hair By: Fringe Hair Salon; Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale purchased at The House of the Bride

1. Wear something cute (of course!), but more importantly, wear something you are comfortable in! Nothing kills confidence faster than wearing an outfit that doesn’t make you feel comfortable in your own skin. Sure you want to look stylish – but make sure you don’t sacrifice feeling at ease for fashion, because it WILL show in your photos! Susie wears this easy belted white dress and cowboy boots, paired with a pop of color necklace that looks both relaxed and fun (the killer combo!).

2. Bring items to the shoot that are important to you and showcase your personality. Susie’s fun personality is really highlighted in her photos, which is what makes them so beautiful! Just by bringing big & bright flowers, a few favorite books, a and colorful blanket, she was able to give us all a little look into what makes her happy.

3. Have FUN with it!! It’s not everyday that you get to have your portrait taken, so enjoy it! Don’t be afraid to be silly – usually the very BEST shots come from the “off moments” when you’re not even trying to pose for the camera. Come to the shoot prepared to have a little fun and let our crazy talented photographers do the rest  :)