Happy Friday! (TGIF, anyone? 🙂 ) Andy + I have been looking forward to Kristen + Bobby’s wedding all year. It was, by far, the most different + unique wedding we’ve photographed to date. To start: They were married at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame’s campus, a beautiful and very special place to share wedding vows for Notre Dame alums. The Basilica holds as many as four wedding ceremonies a Saturday at the following times: 9AM, 11AM, 1PM, + 3PM. Each wedding is allotted just 90 minutes for its entire ceremony (usually over 60 minutes, being a full Catholic Mass) + all family photos must be taken in the remaining few minutes (sometimes as few as 8 minutes!) in preparation for the next ceremony.
Also! Notre Dame opens up their wedding calendar on one of the first Mondays in March. And, their entire calendar usually fills up by the end of that week! Brides will make phone calls to the campus to reserve their dates, and are advised to have three or four back-up dates, because they go so quickly. So! Kristen + Bobby made their phone call and received the date they were hoping for! Only, the time that was available was 9AM 🙂 Most couples would call back and try to change their date for a later ceremony, but not these two. They absolutely made the most of an early ceremony time. (What time did we begin photos before a 9AM ceremony? 5:00 AM. What time does the sun come up in October? 8AM. This was another Amanda + Andy first, folks!)
PHEW! Thanks for sticking with me through all that text! The point of the story IS! Kristen + Bobby are THE most laid-back, cheerful, genuinely caring people we’ve ever met. Even at 5AM, these two were such a joy to be around. Most of their wedding party hadn’t slept the night before (everyone was really excited 🙂 ) and were running on pure adrenaline. It was one of the most wonderful wedding experiences we’ve ever had. Take a look.
Meet Kristen. Shortly after we arrived, she slipped into her wedding gown and came in from the other room with this expression on her face. “I’m wearing a wedding gown!” she squealed. We love the moment a bride realizes she’s a bride. 🙂
Soon after she was in her dress, Bobby + Kristen had their “first look” at ND’s law building, where Bobby + Kristen spent countless hours while Bobby studied to become a lawyer.
Then, on to the Basilica. It’s almost 7:30 AM in these photos and the sun is just starting to come up over the horizon 🙂
Ceremony time! Oh, how we love this place.
And….married 🙂
Seeee? It’s not just girls that admire their wedding rings… 😉
Oh, fall. We love you.
A sweet moment at the Grotto.
Speaking of fall, is this not the most beautiful fall bouquet you’ve ever seen!?
We found some pumpkins. And, because they are so amazing, Bobby + Kristen had no reservations about sitting on some. (Future brides: We always, always take care of you + your dress. Never fear!)
So! What do you do when your ceremony is over by 10:30 AM and it’s time for the reception? You have brunch. 🙂 (Mimosas, danishes, muffins, oh my!)
Oh, and you get creative with your definition of the word “bar.” 😉 (Omelet bar!)
This was one of my favorite moments I’ve witnessed this year. The DJ called for “last song” and every single remaining wedding guest joined hands and circled around Kristen + Bobby for one last wedding dance.
Such an amazing moment. By the way! This is the Palais Royale in South Bend. Does this not make you think of Beauty and the Beast? I mentioned it to Kristen who absolutely lit up and said, “That was my favorite movie! I always wanted to be like Belle!” I think she may have gotten her wish 🙂
And of course, there was cake. 🙂 Kristen + Bobby – we cannot thank you enough for allowing us to be a part of today. You two were so unconditionally patient + kind to us (+ to everybody!) all day + we truly apprecaite you both. We wish you the best and hope you’ve had a wonderful Hawaiian honeymoon. xoxo, A+A
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