A Saturday Well Spent | Alexas + Greg at The Haycraft in Kentucky

Some weddings you leave with a bunch of great photographs.

Other weddings you leave thinking, “Man, those are just some good people.”

Alexas + Greg gave us a little bit of both.

This weekend took us across state lines for our first wedding at The Haycraft in Kentucky, and from the moment we arrived, I knew we were going to have a good day.

New venue. New spaces to explore. New people to meet.

Let's get to work.

First Time at The Haycraft

One of my favorite parts of being a wedding photographer is getting the opportunity to walk into a venue I've never photographed before.

There's no routine yet.

I'm looking around thinking, “Okay, what can we do over here?”

“What's this light going to look like later?”

“Can I get them outside for five minutes?”

It's basically a giant creative playground.

And The Haycraft was a fun one.

The first thing that stood out to me was SPACE.

The upstairs getting-ready areas give the bridal party plenty of room to spread out, get comfortable, turn some music on and actually enjoy the morning.

Anybody who has ever been part of a wedding knows how quickly a getting-ready room can turn into dresses, bags, makeup, food, curling irons, shoes, flowers and 15 people asking where somebody's phone is.

Having room matters.

From there, you've got dedicated ceremony and reception areas, plus a nice combination of urban surroundings and green outdoor spaces for portraits.

For my first time photographing a wedding at The Haycraft, I definitely left with some ideas for the next time I'm back.

That's always a good sign.

And the Staff? They Were ON IT.

I have to show some love to the staff at The Haycraft.

They took care of Alexas + Greg.

Period.

Throughout the day, you could see them checking in, making adjustments, helping vendors and making sure the couple wasn't spending their wedding day worrying about things they shouldn't have to worry about.

That's something I appreciate.

Because the best wedding venues aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest chandeliers or the craziest architecture.

It's the venue where the bride and groom actually get to enjoy being the bride and groom.

Let somebody else handle the rest.

Everyone Laughed ALL DAY

This is probably what I'll remember most about this day

They laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed some more.

They joked with each other throughout the day, and nothing ever felt overly serious or forced.

That's my kind of wedding.

I tell my couples this all the time:

You're allowed to enjoy your wedding.

Actually, PLEASE enjoy your wedding.

You spent months planning this thing.

Don't spend the entire day worrying about whether a napkin is facing the right direction.

If something happens, we'll figure it out.

If we're five minutes behind, we'll catch up.

If somebody is standing where they aren't supposed to be, we'll move them.

If the weather changes, we'll find another spot.

Meanwhile...

Go love on your person.

That's exactly what Alexas + Greg did.

And it shows in the photographs.

Then I Learned We Have MySpace to Thank for All of This

This might have been my favorite random piece of information from the entire wedding.

At some point during the day, I learned that MySpace played a role in the beginning of Alexas + Greg's story.

MYSPACE.

Listen...

If you're old enough to immediately picture Tom's profile picture, we're officially showing our age.

But seriously, think about that.

A social media platform from nearly 20 years ago helped create an interaction that eventually turned into...

This.

A wedding.

Family.

Friends traveling to celebrate.

Two people standing together saying yes to forever.

That's actually pretty cool when you think about it.

Apparently MySpace is trying to make a comeback too, so who knows?

Maybe we're about to start getting MySpace love stories again.

The People Around You Matter

Something else I really appreciated about this wedding was how thankful Alexas + Greg were for everybody around them.

You could feel it.

Their family showed up.

Their friends showed up.

Their wedding party showed up.

And people genuinely seemed happy to be there celebrating them.

Not just attending a wedding.

Celebrating THEM.

There's a difference.

That's why I love learning the stories behind my couples.

I want to know how you met.

I want to know who has been there since the beginning.

I want to know why your best man is your best man.

I want to know why Mom is crying before you even put the dress on.

Because once you understand the relationships, the photographs mean something different.

You're not just photographing “a guest hugging the bride.”

You're photographing somebody who has been beside her for 20 years.

That's the story.

Keep Your Wedding Day Light

If there's anything I'd tell future brides and grooms after photographing this wedding, it's exactly what Alexas + Greg showed us:

Keep it light.

Laugh.

Make jokes.

Be weird together.

Take five minutes away from everybody.

Dance.

Talk to Grandma.

Hug your parents.

Actually eat your dinner.

Look around the room at some point and realize that all of these people came here because they love you.

And every once in a while...

Forget the photographer is standing there.

I'll still get the picture.

That's actually when I usually get the good stuff anyway.

Congratulations, Alexas + Greg

To Alexas + Greg, congratulations!

Thank you for bringing us along for the ride.

Thank you for the laughs, the energy, and for allowing us to simply document you two being yourselves.

And thank you to everyone at The Haycraft for making our first experience at the venue such a great one.

I already know there's more I want to create there.

Another Kentucky wedding in the books.

Another gallery full of stories.

Another reminder that somehow I get to call this work.

Not a bad way to spend a Saturday.

Congratulations, Alexas + Greg.

May your cup of love overflow daily.