This is what happens when the formalities end, and the real party begins.
The bride has slipped out of her cathedral-length gown and into a her mom's wedding dress she had altered to wear at her reception, with white sneakers, ready to dance until midnight. The DJ drops Taylor Swift’s “Love Story,” and suddenly one of her best friends grabs an imaginary microphone, drops to her knees on the wooden floor of Black Iris Estate, and starts serenading the bride like she’s front row at the Eras Tour. The entire bridal party loses it, the flower girl stares in absolute awe, and the bride throws her head back laughing so hard she can barely stand. I live for moments like this as your wedding photographer: the second the timeline relaxes, and the dance floor turns into a celebration. I’m always moving during receptions, shooting low, shooting high, shooting from the edge of the floor, so I never interrupt the moment but never miss it either.
At Black Iris Estate, the dance floor is big enough for theatrics and intimate enough that every expression is seen. When the shoes come off, the dresses get short, and someone inevitably grabs a fake mic for a Taylor Swift moment, I’ll be right there, camera ready, heart full. Because these are the photos you’ll laugh at until you cry, the ones your kids will beg to hear the story behind, the ones that prove your wedding was just perfect, it was yours.
One song. One knee-slide. One frame that holds an entire friendship.
I’ll catch it every time.
Location: 5801 E 116th St, Carmel, IN 46033.