A Black Hills Wedding – St. Louis Wedding Photographer

by devamy | Aug 30, 2020 | Wedding

This beautiful Sunday afternoon was SO much more than a gorgeous Black Hills wedding, so very much more. Can I just begin by saying I drove hours and hours to this same location years ago so I could hold a sweet, precious new baby boy by the name of Gabriel Herman? Yes, yes I did. So you will understand why I bawled like a baby when Gabe’s darling bride went into his arms on their first look just before the ceremony. Like I had to keep myself from ugly crying so I could at least get some good pictures! The depth of love and joy that went into Gabe and Bradi’s beautiful day was palpable. Bradi exuded a joy she couldn’t contain, and Gabe was moved to tears at the first sight of his new bride. In fact, I’m pretty sure they would’ve just stayed in the gorgeous garden during their first look, obvious to the rest of the world had I not finally interrupted them since we did have a ceremony to get to and more pictures to take! It was magical just being a part of it, and I am so honored to get to share from such a special day.

When my sweet friend, Rebecca, called to tell me back in late April that there would be a wedding before the end of summer, I couldn’t help but laugh. I had just watched my son get married the year before, and I know that May through the end of July isn’t much time to plan a wedding. But you would never know how short the planning timeframe was when you stepped into Sunday afternoon on August 2nd. I was so impressed at how beautifully all the details came together. It just goes to show that when two people are ready to say, “I do,” heaven and earth will move in some incredible ways. I am so tempted to gush over how much I love this couple and their crew, as well as throw in a few of my favorite Gabe stories, but I know you’re here to SEE more of their day rather than read volumes from me. Before you scroll down to see some favorites, I want to give a huge shout out to an amazing vendor team and my incredible second photographer, Lisa Priest. Lisa drove all the way from St. Louis to photograph this wedding with me and I couldn’t be more grateful. Add in my beautiful assistant, Anna, and my very patient husband who had us laughing hysterically while we were out taking sunset pictures at stunning Pactola Lake and is the reason for my ridiculous smile on that final image. I love my team, always. They are so, so good to me. And one more thing–Jeremie, the meal was AMAZING on Saturday evening for the rehearsal dinner. I was super thrilled to eat the incredible leftovers on Monday, and it couldn’t have been a better way to end our precious time in South Dakota! My husband RAVED about it all the way home.