Some weddings feel like a big, beautiful party. Some feel like a family finally getting to make it official. Hannah and Jonathan’s Isleworth wedding was both, and I am still smiling about it.
These two found me through Tali at The Bridal Finery (thank you, Tali!), and from our very first conversation I knew their day was going to be classic, stylish and full of heart. Hannah’s vision was simple: mostly white and green flowers, a traditional ceremony outside, dinner in the ballroom, and then a dance floor on the terrace with a live band to get the party started. Rae Nicole Events took that vision and ran with it.
A lakeside Isleworth wedding ceremony in white
Velvet and Twine filled the Isleworth lawn with white roses, hydrangeas and stock, lining the aisle all the way to a round white stage set right on the water. With the Spanish moss and cypress trees behind them, it honestly looked like a painting. And Hannah, in her Ines Di Santo gown from The Bridal Finery and a cathedral veil that caught every breeze, fit right into it.
There was no traditional wedding party. Instead, the processional belonged to the kids. Hannah’s two boys and Jonathan’s son each walked a special lady down the aisle (the moms and Jonathan’s sister) to “I See the Light” from Tangled on piano, and their niece followed as flower girl. Then Hannah’s dad walked her in to “Edelweiss.” When Hannah told me the moment she wanted captured most was Jonathan’s face as she came up the aisle, I made sure I was ready. He did not disappoint.
The ceremony included a blessing of the hands, and when they shared their first kiss, cold spark fountains lit up on either side of the stage. Hannah was laughing the whole way back up the aisle.
Golden hour at Isleworth
Isleworth is one of my favorite Windermere wedding venues to photograph, and golden hour on the dock is the reason why. (If you love this venue as much as I do, take a peek at this sunset ceremony under the chuppah at Isleworth Country Club.) We wandered down to the water as the sun set over the lake and I could have stayed there all night. These two are so natural together, and it shows in every frame.
A candlelit ballroom and a party under the stars
Inside, the ballroom glowed. Long tables were covered in crystal candelabras, ivory tapers, white tulips, roses and ranunculus, with gold chargers and scalloped menus at every seat. Morgan Hunter Desserts created a stunning white tiered cake, and Fyerfly Productions lit the whole room perfectly. The bar had his and hers cocktails, a classic Old Fashioned for him and a spicy skinny margarita with a Tajin rim for her.
After dinner, everyone headed outside to the checkerboard dance floor on the terrace, where Hannah and Jonathan were reintroduced to Michael Bublรฉ’s “L-O-V-E.” Their first dance was Boyce Avenue’s version of “Unchained Melody,” and right after Jonathan dipped Hannah, the whole crowd flooded the floor. Hannah later changed into a sparkly short dress, the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC got their moment (a must, per the bride), and the night ended with an after party back in the ballroom.
Hannah and Jonathan, thank you for trusting me with your family’s day. It was traditional, classic and an absolute party, exactly like you wanted.
