Sam + Nolan | Wedding | Willow Pond - racheljensenphotography.com

Sam and Nolan had a beautiful September wedding at Willow Pond complete with an old truck drive up and a bench branding!

The red barn, the willows waving around the pond and the white chairs and benches were a perfect setting for Sam and Nolan have their wedding at Willow Pond on Saturday. All the hustle and bustle was in full swing when I pulled up to this venue I’ve been wanting to shoot at for some time. It did not disappoint! Fall was definitely NOT in the air like they had at their engagement session last year ( Sam + Nolan | Engaged if you want to see it). It felt more like an August wedding and I’ll take that!

I don’t know how many rooms are in this adorable bed and breakfast. I do know there are lots of steps that were hiked up and down may times. The girls were all getting ready on the third floor, but the second floor had a bright room with perfect light for details and getting Sam in her dress. It was gorgeous! Her and her mom were so sweet together, even when their dresses got stuck!

Those guys though. Full disclosure, I’ve known the groom for a long time. My husband was best man and most of the groomsmen were all in that friend group. The others were quickly accepted. They got ready in the bar area and even put the boutonnières on each other without anyone bleeding. Proud of them!

A unique ceremony …

The ceremony was one to remember. First of all, Sam made sure her guests weren’t bored while waiting. They had a wordsearch and mad lib to keep them occupied. Then when the last of the bridal party had made their way down the aisle, that’s when Sam and her dad came cruising up in his restored Ford truck. You’ve all seen the ceremony traditions like unity candles and tying the three ropes by now. Have you even seen a bench branding? Me either! Sam’s dad Ron built them a bench and her cousin made the brands. During the ceremony they burned their initials into the wood and everyone could sign the bench at the reception. It was so cool, while being very very hot!

Family formals brought a few drops of rain but that lasted about 5 minutes. While the guests headed to the barn for cocktail hour, I wrangled the wedding party for some photos. One thing I get to say here because I know them well enough to get away with it – when you get a group of guys in their late(ish) 30’s together for a wedding, they WILL act like they’re 22 years old again. But if you have 3 boys at home, you can handle it well:)

Let’s Party!

Schueller’s served up a great dinner and the cheesecake bar was delish. Guests had to tell a story to get the couple to kiss and there were some rather entertaining ones. Nolan swung Sam around the dance like crazy for their first dance which I especially love. Once that floor was opened up to everyone else, the place was hopping all night. You gotta shake the dust out of those barn floors once in awhile and they certainly got it done!

Congratulations Sam and Nolan! It’s been a long time coming and it was worth every bit of planning you (as in Sam) put into it!

GUESTS – If you were a guest at this wedding, I probably have a photo of you and I would love for you to have it. Request your guest gallery by clicking this link and when the rest of the photos are done, I’ll send you a link to view the ceremony and reception photos. Easy peasy!