I’m in love with this Southern Illinois DIY backyard wedding for a multitude of reasons, but mainly because the bride is my BEST FRIEND and the groom is her soul mate!
Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Joshua Johnson!!! Â I cannot believe my best friend is MARRIED! Â After twenty-three plus years of calling her Whitney Hays- I now have the name Whitney Johnson to wrap my head around! Â These two are so near and dear to my heart and I’m so completely amazed at God’s hand in this. Â They have finally found their perfect someone and I’m so indescribably happy for them! Â This Southern Illinois DIY backyard wedding was filled with love, color, and craft. Â Whitney’s eye for style never lets me down – as always she pieced together stunningly detailed wedding decor with a huge help from her family!
Just look at her BOUQUET! Â Gorgeous wildflowers (some from Garren’s garden I might add!) wrapped perfectly together by her mother! Â And I’m completely in love with the fact that the groom wore a bow tie! Â It suits their style perfectly!
Before I go any further I have to thank the talented ladies from Emily Dobson Photography and Dawn Cox Photography for these amazing images!  When I hired a team for my best friend’s wedding – I couldn’t have asked for more reliable, thoughtful, and creative team!  They truly put my ‘photographer’ mind at ease knowing that every single detail was being covered.  It was NOT easy to put the camera down for the day & enjoy.. I guess that means I love my job when I WANT to work! 😉 But even more than that I wanted to be present and be there to soak up every second of Whitney & Joshua’s wedding day!
 Talk about water works… Being a bridesmaid for your best friend when you’re pregnant is beyond emotional.  I think I only ugly cried once, but there were tears of joy in my eyes throughout the day!  It’s just so special watching a family you love dearly come together for such an occasion.  Seeing Whitney’s dad walk her down the aisle was just too much!
The grand exit with a rose petal toss was GORGEOUS!  The joy on their faces as newlyweds gives me goosebumps!  I just love it!  The perfect touch to this Southern Illinois DIY backyard wedding!
You might have guessed it… the father daughter dance is when Rachel ugly cries at almost every wedding, but especially when it’s her best friend and her dad! Â They danced to Alan Jackson’s song “Drive” and it was so fitting. Â Watching the father daughter dance at a wedding always makes me think of all the dads in my life.. my own daddy & my daughter’s daddy. Â And of course – my dad was there to witness me ugly cry at this wedding, haha!! Â He asked me why I was crying (though I would venture to say he already knew the answer) and I said because of you silly! Â I get sentimental thinking about my childhood and learning to drive and dance with my own dad!
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS DIY BACKYARD WEDDING | SALEM, IL
SALEM ILLINOISÂ WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY | SALEM ILLINOISÂ WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS
WEDDING GOWN Â | Â Wendy’s Bridal – Cincinnati, OH Â Â SUITS Â | Â Ralph Lauren
BRIDESMAID DRESSES  |  Azazie   TENT & RENTALS  |  Hite Tent Rental – Moweaqua, IL.
Thank you for stopping by & checking out the work of R&G Photography – Southern Illinois husband and wife wedding photography team. Rachel and Garren King specialize in photojournalistic style wedding photography and are based out of Salem, IL.
Contact us today for more information about booking your wedding photography.
Rachel & Garren King – 217 W. Main St. – Salem, IL 62881 – 618.740.1700
