Saturday started like most Spring Midwest weddings start- a whole lot of looking at the radar and hoping the rain would hold off. Avery & Suavik were planning an outdoor ceremony at Celebration Farm in Iowa City and everyone knew that rain would quickly put an end to that.
As Ashley and I were driving from the Quad Cities to Iowa City it was a torrential downpour complete with the moodiest of skies that would make even the most seasoned Iowan take cover in their homes. Nevertheless we traveled on, knowing that we would make some magic happen no matter what the circumstances might be.
As we neared Iowa City the heavens opened up and it was a beautifully sunny day! It was looking like Avery & Sauv would end up getting their outdoor ceremony after all.
We first met the ladies at the Graduate Hotel to capture some gorgeous images of all of Avery’s details. Since Sauv’s family is from India they were planning on celebrating with both a traditional Hindu ceremony as well as an American Christian ceremony (with a fun attire change and intermission in the middle).
This means that Avery had two sets of details for both of her ceremonies. If you have been following me for any amount of time you know that I love me some Bridal Detail photos and I was simply salivating at the chance to photograph TWO sets of details – not to mention the fact that one of those sets were not our traditional bridal details but rich with cultural significance and the ornate beauty of the Indian heritage.
After Avery had a little help getting into her Lehenga and getting everything buttoned and pinned we were off for a first look with Sauv! And of course, Suav was his usual chipper and happy-go-lucky self. He may just be one of the most fun groom’s we’ve had the pleasure of photographing.
When he turned around to see his beautiful bride the first words out of his mouth were, “You look, so Indian!!” To which they both laughed, then shared a kiss. Avery then took a look at Sauvik in his wedding day outfit while he turned and gave a few poses for her (what else did we expect?), and they finished it up with a high-five.
This is my favorite thing about Avery and Sauv. They are simply best friends. There is no other way to describe their relationship. If you spend all of five minutes with them you can immediately tell that this is a partnership between two people who genuinely just love being around each other. Avery compliments Sauvik’s goofy nature with her own lighthearted humor, and they both share a deep and joyful love.
In Sauvik’s vows to Avery he shared that he still has a schoolboy crush on her and that he just wants to impress her and make her smile. I feel like that sums up their relationship to a tee; and just brought the biggest smile to me face. Because even after so many years of being together, if you can still find the wonder and beauty in your relationship and the excitement of budding love – then you’ve found something that others only dream about.
I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention the outstanding jon that Amanda and her team at White Ivy Events did with planning and executing Avery & Sauvik’s wedding day. As you can imagine; it’s no easy task having a wedding day with two ceremonies, an outfit change, two complete sets of portraits to work into the schedule, and a beautiful ceremony & reception space to decorate. But the whole White Ivy team were ready for everything and handled the day with so much grace giving Sauv and Avery just the perfect wedding day!
