Smiles for miles for Sierra and her girls!
It’s possible that the sun is stinging Andy’s eyes and he may even use that as an excuse, but the reality is that he wanted Sierra to be able to look into his eyes when she came out of the manor with her father. The sun may be an excuse, but pure love is the actual reason.
The Erwin and Bell families came together at the end of June to witness what most people already knew (true love was in the air) and to celebrate making it official!
Andy & Sierra have something very special in common; they are both strong of mind AND both strong of heart. Andy looks at Sierra. The love bursts through his heart and pours through his eyes straight into those of his soulmate. Andy shows a tenderness that only the most confident of men allow others to see.
Sierra looks at Andy. On her face is a glow that she has never worn before. It is a radiant energy. The undeniable and unmistakable look of pure love that is grounded in certainty and highlighted with a vulnerability; underlined with a fierce determination. He is the One.
As you watch them interact with each other, you will notice that they take turns being in charge. They take turns letting go. Many things did not go as planned on this day; in fact some things did not happen at all that were planned: but this couple did not become stressed about it. They rolled with whatever was going on. They just allowed themselves to enjoy each other and the presence of their loved ones and did not focus on what did not go right. They are doing it right. They already know the secrets to a long, happy life.
Tear a page out of their book!
Bella Brooke Winery was the gorgeous setting for the wedding of Andy & Sierra. The grounds are well maintained and hidden away in the far corner are ponies! PONIES!!!
Blingy and glitzy. The wedding details are one of the most important parts. All of the planning. Finding the perfect dress. Hunting for the perfect rings.
Finding the perfect shoes to wear with the dress (nice job, Sierra!!!). Those shoes tho!
Andy & Matt posing on the tractor at Bella Brooke Winery. Matt, Andy, Kurtis, and Travis BFF4L.
Cathy affixes Andy’s corsage.
As her father (Darren) sees his baby in her bridal gown, he mentally and emotionally prepares to give her to another man who will be tasked with loving and protecting her (even though he has taught her to protect herself). Both embrace and hold back tears. After all, the make-up has already been applied!
The bride-to-be has had a glow added to her face, but she doesn’t need it. She is already glowing in her love for the man that she is about to marry.
Marissa, her maid-of-honor also adds a little pizzazz, although she too has the type of personality where she emanates pizzazz wherever she goes. She is just awe-inspiring. These besties …..!
Sierra & Andy’s main dog, Bailey, is the furriest love of Sierra’s life. He was completely dressed for the occasion with little cuffs, collar and bowtie complete with a placard announcing to the world that his humans were getting married! When not engaging in a favorite pastime of chasing and catching/playing with shadows (must protect the humans!) Bailey had the privilege and honor in marching the rings to the altar with the flower girls.
3 generations! Some things in this picture belong to Gram. Some to Edith. And some to Sierra! <3
Edith shows off the new candy dishes that arrived!
Edith receives gentle tickle with the blush brush. Her baby is getting married today! Edith has been blessed in marriage to Sierra’s father. You should have seen those two (Darren & Edith) tearing up the dance floor. What an inspiration! <3
Bailey looking at shadows <3
The bridal party consisted of the ring bearer, two flower girls, two sister bridesmaids and the maid of honor.
Bailey gets ready for his important role with his humans’ rings safely secured to his attire. Melody and Kelly prepare to be guided down the path. Brittany (top right) walks down the aisle with a full gorgeous grin. The way that she was gliding effortlessly, you could very easily picture her on a runway. Kaela has that natural beauty as she walks down the aisle. It’s the kind of beauty where she can just get out of bed in the morning and look perfect. And the Maid of Honor; stellar lady whose beauty is a blend of timeless classic with renegade wing-woman. She is simply stunning. When she is in the room, the other people in the room with her feel energized and happy. You don’t need energy drinks when Marissa is around. She’s got you covered with her natural resources.
Bailey, Kelly & Melody, Brittany, Kaela, Marissa, Chad, Andy, Kurtis, Matt, and Travis eagerly await Sierra’s arrival.
The rings are on their way to the altar….and so is the bride, escorted by her proud father, Darren. You can see the look of love and anticipation etched into Sierra’s face.
That moment. THE FIRST LOOK! The smile on his face is only matched by the amount of love (and perhaps relief, gratitude, and joy?) that shines through his eyes as he spies his bride for the first time that day. She is here. It is time! And she walks out of the manor with her father and as they round the ramp, her loving glance falls directly on him. Their eyes meet and her smile does not fade the rest of the way. In fact, it grows! It is time!
The brief ceremony under an unforgiving sun. The ceremony probably wasn’t short enough and nobody even noticed the sun or the heat with all of the warmth generating between these two kindred souls. Smiles, love, and kisses! Oh, and laughter.
Chad Kiah, the uncle of the bride officiated the wedding. Truly a family affair!
When Andy’s hands met Sierra’s waist, his lips met hers. Her arms then instinctively went up in a loose hold. She didn’t have to worry about falling; he was right there steadfast ready to catch her<3.
Coming back down the aisle was that moment of “WE DID IT!” Large smiles. LOTS and LOTS of kisses. No time to even stop….they have even nailed down the art of the “walking kiss.”
There was a receiving line to welcome the well-wishers and people who wanted to share in the celebration.
Marissa, Kaela, Sierra, Bailey, Brittany, Kelly & Melody just about ready to go!
These girls are not messing around. Marissa and Sierra are ready to take charge …. and have serious fun!
Kurtis, Marissa, Sierra and Andy show off their excitement and glam style!
Sierra and Bailey take a moment to stand for a picture. Bailey was super hot …. and tired from staring down shadows.
Look at the sweet smile that he has for his bride! Sierra just shines.
One of the beautiful personal touches to the decor.
After what seemed like only 15 minutes (receiving line and hard, hard sun!) people were ready to meet the newest Bell family line! Mother and father of the bride Darren and Edith Erwin entered first followed by the mother and father of the groom, Cathy and Rick Bell.
Photo credit: Andy Bell! (#wishiwastallorhadlongarms)
Contagious Catering catered the event; the food was divine!!! Melt in your mouth!
Darren and Edith bringing in the crew!
Brittany was escorted by Travis:
Kaela was escorted by Matt.
Marissa was escorted (en vogue) with Kurtis
And Ladies and Gentlemen …. Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Andy & Sierra Bell!
The First Dance between the newlyweds was an opportunity to demonstrate to the world how much they love each other!
The toasts made by the Marissa and Kurtis evoked many emotions. Both of these people could be stand-up comedians. They both had excellent timing and delivery. Some of the details that were shared were both delightful (to say) and temporarily horrifying (ly funny!!!) to hear! There were so many laughs that I know I was afraid the camera would start to shake from laughing so hard.
The toast. Celebrate all that is to be for the couple for a lifetime ahead and future generations of Bells.
Dick Kiah strikes a pose during the toast the the happy bride and groom.
And little wee lass Scarlett Azalea (the niece of Andy & Sierra) steals the show with her dance partner (little stuffed pony). Later, when the bubbles came out it was GAME ON for little Scarlett!!!
Attention was paid to detail to be sure. Barbara Otis (Andy’s Gram) was there in spirit. You can see the strong resemblance with both Cathy and Andy (and also Andy’s cousin Sarah!). This was one of the most touching aspects of the details; that personally I find so meaningful. In a way she was there, participating in the festivities. Watching her grandson marry the love of his life. And this woman, was full of life. She would laugh, dance, smile and have a great time …. she was just an absolute gorgeous soul of a human being.
The Father-Daughter dance was an opportunity to demonstrate the love that Sierra has had modeled for her throughout her life. Darren was certainly a character and it is obvious that Sierra inherited his funny gene too.
The First Dance between husband and wife involved a romantic dip; lips remaining locked! The abandon. The faith. The trust. So beautiful! It makes one ponder if they had practiced the walking kiss, the dipping kiss, and other kisses (like the “dancing kiss”) so that they would not look awkward in front of the camera, but whether they did or not ….. they look completely natural and at ease (camera or no camera).
The Mother-Son dance was also a display of pure love and respect. Look at the joy in Cathy’s eyes as she dances with her son.
Shenanigans! Darren Dad’s (or should we say “daring dad’s” superhero cape was even perfect for the occasion! <3
The “Dancing Kiss” as perfected by Andy & Sierra.
Ah yes. The beautiful and delicious cake made with love from Cindy’s Cake Shop. Just look at that sweetness!
My heart just melted when I saw Andy’s forefinger gently tracing the outline of his beloved’s nose as he used his other fingers to ever-so-softly guide the moist cake into her mouth as she simultaneously navigate the confection into his.
That little stinker Andy did was tenderly wipe a tiny dollop of frosting onto Sierra’s nose!
So it was no wonder why the next bit ensued. You can see the stakes being called, perhaps even raised! Ahhhh C’est L'Amour!
LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!
Matt literally just breezed into the shot like that and I just happened to capture it. Is that just phenomenal or what?? And yes, it was ridiculously hot that evening; even with multiple air conditioners running so at some point, layers needed to be shed. No heat stroke!
Groomsman Travis shows a little flexibility out on the dance floor. I used to be able to do that. Really, I did! Ah the days of having old people problems are not even on the horizons for these spring chickens. What fun to watch them! Serious fun happening here.
And …. DJ Scott Boyer did not disappoint. He is a wonderful DJ and knows how to relate to and interact with the crowd. These people were no strangers to having a good time.
Just look! You can almost feel like you a re right there in the moment with them.
During this reception, I swear a tornado tried to touch down. Travis was right out in the thick of it (not shown in this image), just standing there getting pummeled by the wind as it rapidly approached; hands in pocket - not intimidated. Bring it ON!.
Reminded me of an old folk tale where someone threw something into a tornado to get it to turn away. Oh wait, that might have been a story being told in the movie “Twister.”
Anyway, at one point the power went out. Poor Scott was almost convinced it was somehow his doing. It wasn’t. It was Mother Nature. And it was only temporary!
Beautiful Sierra striking a pose with her rose glasses! Everything is looking like love tonight!
The grapevine at the vineyard provided a beautiful setup for the rings to be displayed.
The passionate clash between the hot air and the cold front that stampeded in (the “almost-tornado”) resulted in a beautiful rainbow (see over Marissa’s head below). It was shining down over Black Lake. Doesn’t that just sum up marriage in a nutshell? Oh, and look! It matches the cake!
Oh the bouquets! These GORGEOUS arrangements were made by Meredith Wood, Maid of Honor’s mom!
Just look at how much time and thought went into these. Just breathtaking!
Twas the night before the wedding and all through the hall;
Not a thing out of place, perfect for all.
But missing from the centerpiece of the room
Was the wedding party toasting their bride and groom!
Long live Andy & Sierra!
Congratulations you two and thank you so much for your patience as I worked to get everything together! Let’s hop to it and make memories!
These folks are simply awesome human beings who have a sense of humor that rivals people who have been on the earth longer! VIVA COMEDY! Lead the way Kurtis!
THOSE SHOES THO!!!!