Amy Straka Photography

I was squealing when the bride and groom gave me permission to share the photos from their intimate wedding ceremony last Friday.  So many couples actually tie the knot before the big party, and often that memory is kept only between them.  It isn’t, however, just paperwork.  It’s the real beginning of their married life together.

When Matt and I got engaged, we knew we wanted to share that day with all of our friends and family.  We knew, however, that if we wanted a ceremony performed by a friend, rather than a pastor or judge, we would need to knock out the necessary documents ahead of schedule.  We decided to make a weekend trip out of it, travel to a cute bed and breakfast in Southern Indiana, and make it all official there.  We referred to it as “Secret Wedding”.  I bought a cocktail dress, had a little bouquet made, and we departed.  When we arrived, however, the ceremony site was under heavy construction, and rather than spoil the romance with the banging of hammers, we picked our new location out of hat, figuratively, and drove.

I remember reading, in Oddball Indiana, that there was a courthouse with a tree growing out of it somewhere in Indiana, so why not, we head that way, making calls as we drove, license in hand.  By the time we found someone from that county to perform our ceremony, it turned out they were under construction as well, but the clerk was happy to meet us on the courthouse lawn, amidst the weekly farmer’s market.  Between the produce, we ducked into a small gazebo and said our vows.  As much as I had played down the business part of getting married, eager for a huge gala with wall to wall friends, this day means just as much, if not more to me now.

When the bride and groom contacted me, letting me know the big date had yet to arrive, but they wanted to make sure to capture the memory of their elopement, I knew I was the woman for the job.  Standing in the courtroom with just the judge and the couple, it was the most intimate wedding I have ever photographed.  I was the ring bearer, the flower girl, the audience.  The happiness on their faces, uncomplicated by hors d’oeuvres and do-not-play lists, was incredible.  It reminded me of the day that Matt and I officially became Matt and I.  It was stupendous.