One year ago today, my husband Chad and I were married! Both our ceremony and reception were held at
Cedar Ridge Winery in Swisher, Iowa. I grew up in Cedar Rapids, and Chad and I met at The Univ of Iowa in Iowa City, and Swisher is just about exactly half-way in-between the two cities, so it seemed a perfect location. I can't believe it's already been a year - looking back on our wedding, we could not have been happier with anything. We really did have amazing vendors, and now I'm even working for Cynthia and her company, something I did not see coming! Life is crazy sometimes.
Our photographers,
Sb Photography, are a husband and wife team who do stunning work. Photography was one of my priorities, so I did a lot of research finding the right one for us. Samantha and Stephen are so easy and fun to work with, and one of the things I loved about them is that on our day, they almost disappeared into the background. This allowed them to get some really great shots of everything that was going on, not just all posed photos.
My bridesmaids and I got ready at
Tru Salon & Spa in Coralville - I have been going to Tru for multiple years now, and they always do such amazing work. We also got ready at the salon because photos were to take place downtown Iowa City immediately after.
We started off with pictures of just the girls, and then met up with the guys ... Chad and I did a first look separately from everyone else. I would absolutely recommend a 'first look' to anyone getting married. I completely understand not wanting to see each other before that special moment coming down the aisle, however doing it beforehand took off so much of the pressure, and some of my absolute favorite shots from the day were from before the ceremony. And, you do still get that special moment walking down the aisle, I promise!
After photos downtown Iowa City, we headed up to Cedar Ridge for family photos and a little bit of down time before the ceremony.
The cake topper was the same one used by my parents!
Our flower girl, Ava and I out at the winery.
We knew we were taking a risk by having our ceremony outside, but the weather turned out to be perfect. [Hard to believe with the temp only being in the 50s today! Iowa weather. Sigh.] Our officiant was not only the pastor I grew up with, but he's also a very good family friend, so our ceremony was that much more extra special. Our guests were seated in a semi-round arrangement, which made us literally surrounded by our family and friends.
After the ceremony, our guests were able to relax and enjoy the great weather during the social hour. There was, of course, wine from the winery, as well as hors d'oeuvres. Meanwhile, Chad and I went off with our photographers to get a few more photos around the winery. This time was great because it allowed Chad and I to spend a little bit of time together after the whirlwind of the day and before the reception.
Then, of course, the reception! We were so happy with the work Cynthia and her company did, and this was prior to me working for Cynthia, so I feel I can say that without bias! The whole day went so smoothly and it such a relief to be able to concentrate on our day and not setting up all the decor. In the past year, Cedar Ridge has now built an actual permanent structure, so the tent is no longer. In addition to the wedding cake, my grandma also made multiple flavors of homemade cheesecake, which was not only delicious, but was also a personal touch for our day.
[The photo above was actually taken my dad so we could immediately use it for our thank you notes]
Overall, we were so happy with everything on our wedding day - we can't believe it's already been a year, and it's always fun to look back at photos and relive the whole experience!
Our Wedding Notes -
- Emma L. Barden
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
