Dearly beloved, this is one awesome wedding
One of the things I want to accomplish with this blog — aside from emptying my mind — is to pay homage to all that is Oklahoma. People. Places. Spaces. Things. Businesses.
When I saw the following wedding photos from BRC Photography, a lightbulb didn’t just glow, it lit up so brightly that it shattered above my head. What better way to highlight my home state than to kill all those birds with one little blog post? This entry is chock-full of Okie.
Weddings can tug at even the toughest of heartstrings. Whether you are in attendance or glancing through photos — whether the bride and groom are your lifelong friends or just folks depicted in a photographer’s portfolio — weddings have a way of making you remember the good in the world. Happiness. Hope. Love.
For the record, I’m totally weird. I look through wedding photos on Facebook even if I don’t have a clue who the couple is. It’s like my little addiction. Hi, my name is Brandi: I’m hooked on Coca-Cola, vegetables cupcakes and random wedding pictures. Through my addiction is how I “met” Matt and Leslie — in photos, tagged on a social networking site, by the sister of someone I haven’t seen in 10 years. It was fate.
The Andrews are almost a storybook pairing. Boy meets girl on the campus of Oklahoma State University. Girl with a big heart is studying to become a veterinarian and wants to dedicate her life to animals. Boy spends his time flying mechanical birds in the sky for the United States Air Force and rescuing the world. She waits for him to come home from deployment, then they seal their love with a ring and a kiss at one of the most unique places to get hitched in Oklahoma — the Oklahoma City Farmer’s Public Market.
Thanks to photographer Benita R. Cloward of BRC Photography for allowing me to post her works of art here. Benita is a talented German woman who moved to the U.S. in 2002. She now lives in Norman, OK with her husband, who, like the groom you are about to meet, is in the military. Benita’s photos speak for themselves, soooooo….
Dearly beloved, I introduce you to one phenomenal photographer, and one very photogenic couple. Cue the oooh’s and ahhhh’s, cause instead of goin’ to the chapel, we’re a’ goin’ to a rustic, historic Oklahoma industrial building.
Just a quick introduction to the venue (scroll down for lots more photos!)
- The OKC Farmer’s Public Market first opened in 1928 as a place to keep farmers from being street vendors. Business people in the city’s downtown district didn’t like direct competition with the farmers, who were selling goods on the sidewalks in front of the stores.
- The art deco venue also housed a drug store, grocery, meat market and cafe. The ballroom was used for concerts and boxing matches.
- Hank Williams Sr., Bob Wills and Buddy Guy performed there.
- It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1982).
- It sits on 6 acres, and is two stories and 40,000 square feet.
- It has 30-foot ceilings and 15-foot windows that look out at the Oklahoma City skyline.
- The building was passed down in the John J. Harden family until the current owners, Burt and Jody McAnally, bought it in 2002 and started to improve the upkeep.
- Currently, it is used for private parties/weddings, concerts, roller derby, antique shows, etc. It has an eclectic group of shops in the “mall area.”
A retro venue calls for a retro bride. Love the birdcage veil and the modern-yet-vintage feel of the dress itself. P.S. I told you Benita was a good photographer!
1. Simple tablescapes, but elegant. Something like this is very inexpensive if you DIY. 2.I love that the photographer keeps bringing in the industrial feel of the building into the photos.
“Mirror images” of the bride and groom preparing to walk down the aisle.
The couple chose to get a “first look,” exchange gifts and share a special moment before the ceremony. This is what it means when someone says “a picture is worth a thousand words.” The excitement, nervousness and the bridesmaid giggling in the doorway is priceless.
Special moments alone.
OK. So there is a reason he looks so happy… like this…
…and this. It’s because his bride-to-be just gave him a photo album full of pictures like…
This. And this. And this. And…
T.H.I.S. Which will most likely keep him company the next time he is on foreign soil, feeling homesick because he’s away from his beautiful retro Okie redhead.
{We now join the wedding, already in progress…}
This photo is proof that the most beautiful weddings aren’t always in decorated churches or the most elegant of country clubs. This photo proves that a little “buffalo” backdrop only makes the bride’s “fancy” touches shine brighter. (sidenote: Yes, that is the original maple floor from 1928. It is also the largest dancing space in the state.)
He does. She does. Oh, and boy, how I do….love this wedding.
Handsome men in uniform. Thank you, Uncle Sam, and thank you, gentlemen. Sal-ute!
Bottom center = total awesomeness.
I don’t know these people, but I do know love when I see it. This, my friends, isn’t just love. It is loveliness.
Don’t be afraid. This is what wedding receptions are supposed to be like. Take note.
I once received a big gash on my nose in a moment like this. For the record, I wasn’t even trying to catch the bouquet. It was a vicious, vicious scene straight out of “Bridesmaids Out For Blood” or something. I’m happy to see that this looks much more civilized.
Here’s to your beautiful life, Matt and Leslie. And here’s to many more beautiful weddings in this historic building. And many, many more shutters of the camera for a brilliant photographer. Thanks, Benita.
To check out the Farmers Market for your own event, please click here.
To see more of BRC Photography, please click here.
**Nothing above is a paid advertisement. I simply feature things that catch my eye and inspire me personally.**
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Tags: i {heart} oklahoma, love, weddings
