Summer Wedding at The Farmstead

 

The Farmstead wedding venue in Concord is always one of my favorite venues to work at! Not only is the landscape absolutely beautiful, but the people are fabulous to work with as well! Some of my favorite wedding memories are at this venue, so it was no surprise that I was very excited for Mary Catherine and Chris’s wedding day! They were originally supposed to get married in June, but postponed due to the pandemic. I’m glad they did – because all of their friends and family were able to be there. Plus, we got amazing weather that day!

 

Getting Ready at The Farmstead Wedding Venue

 

My second shooter and I began the day in the bridal suite, which is a beautiful house that gets lots of natural light! Mary Catherine had all of her detail items laid out and ready to go for us, because that’s just the kind of amazing organized person she is! We had so much fun playing with all of her beautiful jewelry, invitation suite, and of course her lovely lace dress!!!

 

After a few getting ready pictures and makeup touchups, we had Mary Catherine get dressed with the help of her lovely mom! She put on her dress and accessories at one of my favorite areas of the house –  it gets so much beautiful light and it’s absolutely perfect for bridal portraits!

 

Pre-Ceremony Photos

 

Next, it was time to visit Chris and the guys and grab some getting ready pictures of them! Chris’s son Joshua is so adorable, and got to be part of all of the photography fun! This group of guys was so much fun to be around you could tell that they had been in weddings before, because they knew exactly what to do!

 

The girls were exactly the same – we had a fun reveal with Mary Catherine and her bridesmaids and her sweet flower girl and junior bridesmaids! Those little girls were some of the sweetest I have ever been around on a wedding day! They wanted to help us and be involved in photos in any way they could!  Someone even had the idea to toss some of the flower petals that were being used for the ceremony, because they had so many extra ones! We had a lot of fun with the girls photos!

 

I was extra excited to take photos of Mary Catherine by herself, as well as bride and groom photos later on, because of her incredible cathedral length veil! Get this… she got it on Amazon!!! My jaw dropped when she told me that! I mean, just look at those beautiful dramatic veil shots! My photographer heart was so happy.

First Touch

Before the ceremony, we had two more important things to do! First, Mary Catherine shared a very sweet and emotional first look with her father. I always love the anticipation of father daughter first looks! You can bet some happy tears were shed. Then, Mary Catherine and Chris shared a first touch. I love when my couples do this, because it gives them an opportunity to talk even if they don’t see each other before the ceremony! They laughed a lot and talked about how their days had been so far! They even included Joshua in a few of those photos!

 

The Ceremony

It was time for the ceremony, and you could just feel the excitement from everyone present! As Mary Catherine walked down the aisle, Joshua looked up at Chris in the sweetest way, as if to say “there’s your girl!” I was tearing up behind my camera… it’s one of the sweetest moments I’ve ever seen at a wedding. Things like that always remind me of what an honor it is to be a witness on a wedding day!

I love ceremonies at The Farmstead wedding venue for lots of reasons, and one of those reasons is their ceremony space. The open-air pavilion in the field is such a unique place for a wedding ceremony. The decor of the cross and floral design really brought everything together!

 

Wedding Photos at The Farmstead Wedding Venue

 

They left their ceremony as Mr. and Mrs. Anzalone, and it was time for the fun to really begin with family photos and bridal party photos! Mary Catherine and Chris’s bride and groom photos are probably some of my favorites ever!!! We were able to make our rounds to so many amazing spots on the property. I always like the area in front out of the pond. There is such a beautiful glowing golden light as the sun is setting that you just can’t beat! We had Chris pick Mary Catherine up and sway for a few photos and I love the result! They were both so relaxed and excited about their photos, so working with the two of them was such a treat! 🙂

 

The Reception

 

Mary Catherine and Chris shared their first dance inside the barn. The twinkly lights always make it look so beautiful! After a delicious dinner, some of their closest friends and family shared heartfelt and funny toasts! One of my favorites was from Chris’s father – he was hilarious! He gave Mary Catherine a bat as a “gift” to keep Chris in line. Everyone was laughing! After the cake cutting, the dancing began! Their crowd was definitely a dancing crowd, and it was so much fun to be around everyone for the reception! Mary Catherine and Chris celebrated the end of the night at The Farmstead wedding venue with a beautiful sparkler exit and lots cheering!!!

 

What a blessing it has been for me to get to know these two. I loved every minute of their wedding day and seriously wish I could relive the whole thing. Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Anzalone!!!

 

Vendors

Venue: The Farmstead

Dress: Ladies of Lineage

Hair and Makeup: Blush and Beauties/Tehya Price

Florist: Cindy Stroup with Seams Right

DJ: ATG Entertainment

Videographer: A Thousand Cranes

Cake: Sassy Cakes 

Catering: Family Catering Service

Ring Design: Cox and Cox in Kannapolis, NC

Invitations: Zola

Bridesmaid Attire: Azazie

Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

If you love Mary Catherine and Chris’ wedding, check out their Duke Mansion engagement session and Mary Catherine’s Farmstead bridal portraits!