The Harper's

Shelby and Alex's wedding is one that we have been talking about since they booked July 9, 2022. 

Shelby and Alex were introduced by a mutual friend and their love story has been through COVID and long distance so getting to celebrate the nuptials between these two we knew would be something special. Shelby had dreamed of booking Bradford Farm before she ever said "Yes" so we were more than excited to get to work on making her wedding dreams come true. While Alex was away at dental school, Shelby was busy dotting all the "i's" and crossing all the "t's". The treasured forest was her ceremony location of choice and serving up the couple's favorite dish for the reception was a must.

We started with first looks-father of the bride first and then the groom. Jeff, father of the bride, was excited to see his baby girl in her wedding gown. He said he had no clue what it looked like, Shelby is not only his baby girl but his hunting buddy, so this first look was special, and you know here at Bradford Farm we are all about creating special moments for our couples and their families. When Jeff turned around, he was breathless, and Shelby quickly became a puddle when she said, "What do you think?" to her daddy. Mother of the bride, Lisa, also got a front row to this first look and she was beaming and looking fabulous herself. When Lisa and Jeff were married, Lisa's father slipped a shiny new penny in her shoe for good luck. A few years ago, Jeff, did the same thing when Shelby's older sister, Shannon, was married. So, keeping the tradition alive, Jeff, slipped a shiny new 2022 penny in Shelby's shoe for good luck. After a few tears and hugs it was time for the first look for our bride and groom. Shelby was tucked away in a corner of the chapel while we got Alex prepped but just before he was to see his bride, he handed us a box and gave us instructions to hold on to it until he was ready. Shelby was ready for Alex to turn around and check her out and in true Harper style he was as laid back and cool as they come, but he was excited to see his girl and tell her how beautiful she was. The bride and groom chose to share their vows they wrote for one another during their first look. Shelby was up first, she read a portion of a letter she wrote to her future groom when she was a senior in high school..............*We have GOT to start having more tissues with us during these first looks! * Geeezzzzzz!!! Shelby was holding back tears as she was reading parts of that letter and expressing the many prayers she had prayed for Alex before she even met him. Alex took his turn next; we are still talking about that hard exterior and calm spirit that encapsulated the groom that day but to hear him share his heart for his bride just kept our Bradford Farm team wiping tears. **How do these people expect us to work in these conditions?!?! Tissues! We. Need. Tissues.** Alex expressed his thankfulness for his bride for standing by him through the thick and the thin. Not only is Shelby changing her last name, but she is changing her state of residency! Alex is a dental school student in Iowa and while he completes his studies Shelby will be moving away from her home and family along with the change of becoming a wife. Alex expressed his desire to follow the Lord's calling on his life, he promised to be her leader, provider, and protector and with a heart of gratitude, Alex, made sure Shelby knew of the sacrifices she was making with such big changes, but he didn't leave out that he was following this path the Lord laid before him, them as a couple, and the future family they will have. Gosh, we just got excited to hear these two and the promises they made to one another, we can't wait to see what is in store for the Harper's!

Shelby and Alex had an army, yes, an army of friends that stood by their side-24 to be exact! 12 bridesmaids and 12 groomsmen! Shelby chose for her ladies to be dressed in multiple shades of green and mixed in a white with green floral print dress that was beautiful on her crowd. Groomsmen wore matching ties, cowboy boots and suits. White florals and greenery were carried by the bridesmaids and groomsmen had turkey feathers in their boutonnieres-turkey hunting is a shared love of the bride and groom too. Shelby carried a large bouquet of white florals and greenery that included orchids and roses and was wrapped with pieces from her mother's wedding gown as her something "old". I almost forgot about the box! Alex did have a small fail on the wedding day but trust me it was a good fail! Alex and Shelby had decided to forgo gifts to one another on their wedding day, but Alex didn't keep up his end of that deal. Remember that box he gave us?!?! Inside the surprise gift Alex had for his bride was a pair of diamond earrings. Not just any pair but a pair with a special meaning. A few years ago, Shelby was gifted a pair of diamond earrings by her grandmother, and she wore them every day and after her grandmother's passing Shelby noticed one day that one was missing, she was heartbroken and after hearing her share the story I think everyone in her family was a part of the search and rescue of the lost earring, even Alex, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Way to go Alex! You surprised her with a gift that she will treasure for a lifetime and getting to hear the story of how much they meant to Shelby was just another reason why we love our job at Bradford Farm. We share the day with you all but it's the moments that we ourselves remember every time we think about your wedding day too!

So, here is where it got interesting! Remember me mentioning that Shelby and Alex's wedding was one we had talked about since they booked?!?!? Well, the guest list for this wedding we knew was long so the potential for us hosting hundreds of people on the day of the Patterson/Harper wedding was high. We, as the Bradford Farm team, often found ourselves talking about the logistics of what was coming up on July 9th. Dust would settle on a weekend, and we would be gearing up for our next event but sometimes we would circle back to the Patterson/Harper event and throw out an idea about parking, seating, etc. This wedding was one that literally took the coming together of all our minds to make sure we covered everything. In our team discussions we always ended it with "everyone needs to be praying for no rain!". One thing that most people don't know about wedding photographers, videographers, and venue owners is that they hold a minor in meteorology.  I mean seriously!! Our Bradford Farm team has invested time in searching out the best weather app and radar system and we swear by it every time. The week/week before the wedding we were keeping an eye out for the July 9th prediction, it wasn't looking favorable, but we just kept praying and discussed with Shelby her wishes and knew what she had dreamed of for her wedding day. Saturday, July 9th rolled around, and it was a beautiful day but as the day went on things were changing. We stayed on schedule for our photos and as we were wrapping up group photos, we faced the first down pour of the day. We didn't sweat it; we are good about staying on or even ahead of schedule. After getting everyone back to the dry and let the showers pass, we finished photos on the front lawn of the venue. Ceremony time was creeping up and guests began rolling in. Our radar showed we were in the clear at 6:15pm and we had time to have the ceremony and get everyone to the reception like planned. We all took a deep breath and started making sure everyone was in their place. Then a surprise!! Guests were seated, wedding party was lined up, and the bride was being carted to the ceremony location and a pop-up storm that was undetected was on top of us. Guests shuffled to their cars and underneath the barn roof for cover. Bridal party ran to cover in the groom's suite and the bride was safe in the bridal suite but somewhat disappointed in her situation. 

We were all devastated but knew we had to act. Shelby just wanted her groom and getting Alex to his bride's side was a priority. Alex was able to be the calm in the storm for his bride and wipe her tears and put a smile back on her face. At that point we made the shift to move the ceremony inside. We had to do a last-minute floor plan change to accommodate the ceremony, we moved the floral arch from the woods to the new ceremony location and lined the aisle with rose petals for the bride's entrance. Guests were welcomed into the reception venue and once everyone was in place, we had a wedding!

Something else was brewing other than just a small storm. Awaken Films had a team with us all day and Al Hammond the owner was tucked away in his new Air Stream that was parked on the venue lawn editing away. Al and his team set up their film set and at the conclusion of the evening guests viewed what he and his crew had been working on all day. The "Same Day Edit" package is on that only Awaken Films offers. This package allows for the bride and groom along with their guests to get to view a video of the highlights of the wedding day that took place only a few hours earlier. This package allows guest to see what happened behind the scenes of the day before they arrived and is a great way to relax and wind up an exciting wedding day. After the video guests gathered and wished a happy farewell to the Harper's as they left under a sky of sparklers and confetti to head to their honeymoon.

Alex and Shelby, your wedding day might not have been what we originally set out for, but it was a dream and we loved sharing every minute of it with you both. We are looking forward to watching you grow as a couple and a family over the years to come. Do good in Dental School Big Al and let us know when you start taking patients when you return home! We love you both!!

Vendor Shout-Out

Videographer-Awaken Films

Caterer-Southern Skillet

Florals and Decor-Bradford Farm

Photographer-Create Portraiture 

Dress-The Something Blue Shoppe

Wedding Cake-Lana Copeland

Reception Lighting-AlphaLit Huntsville 

DJ & Ceremony Sound-Universal Event & Production Services

Makeup-Makeup by Corey