James & Rebecca’s wedding at Leach Botanical Garden was the perfect wedding to start back up after my COVID-19 hiatus that many of us have been experiencing.

Yes, things have absolutely changed and right now we’re at a moment where brides and grooms everywhere are deciding wether to move forward with their wedding plans or to postpone. I was extremely excited to hear that Rebecca & James wanted to move forward with their nuptials with slight modifications. I’d love to share my experience photographing their wedding day.

To me, the most important part of any wedding is the genuine love and connection between the couple. Thankfully, Rebecca & James couldn’t contain the sheer affection they have for one another. And none of the alterations to their weddings was going to change that!

As we scurried away into the forested area of the garden, they fell into one another with such ease that I rarely gave more than just basic direction. Before I knew it, they’d naturally gazing into each other’s eyes.

Here’s a quick story! While I would never ask anyone to climb onto a small line of rocks on the middle of a stream on a wedding day, I can’t say my heart didn’t skip for joy when Rebecca suggested this craziness. I cannot thank her enough for her sheer bravery!

By far, the photos by the creek are some of my favorite of the pair.

After the couple came back to solid ground, we headed into the ceremony. Guest arrived at the beautiful Leach Garden with plenty of memorable items, including some personalized COVID-19 wedding masks! It’s such a fun idea for the craziness we have now! 🙂

The ceremony was beautiful. Rebecca knows some fabulously talented people who decorated the venue with some of the most beautiful floral arrangements!

Guest were greeted & seated by household to maintain social distancing practices. To limit the number of in-person guest, the ceremony was also live streamed. They made it interactive and many online guest spoke to give their blessings to the couple.

I’m happy to announce, that it was still an extremely touching and heartfelt ceremony for all guest! It was beautiful to watch.

After the ceremony and dinner, Rebecca & James got creative. They said goodbye to their guest and welcomed in a new group of guest who would join them for cocktail hour, toasts and dancing. What a great idea!

Congratulations James & Rebecca! Your Leach Botanical Garden wedding was gorgeous and I hope you two have many more heartfelt moments together for years and years to come.

And for anyone out there who is unsure how this COVID-19 pandemic will affect your wedding, I promise you, it can still be just as beautiful and meaningful as you imaged.

To end: I’m sharing a slideshow of photos from James & Rebecca’s wedding below! 🙂

Wedding Vendors

Venue: Leach Botanical Gardens

Photographer: Susie Moreno Photography

Florist: Jenny Kenworth

Hair: Dosha Salon

Wedding Dress; Brides for a Cause

Tuxedo: Michael Allen’s Clothier

Food: Pearl Catering