A Perfectly Heartwarming Springtime Wedding, by Laura Murray [RF Wedding of the Week]

May 20, 2015

By Laura Brauer

I’m from New York, so I’m used to two seasons: winter and summer. Here, springtime usually starts fairly late (around mid May) and the temperatures flip-flop so much so that one day we’re wearing strappy dresses and sandals, and the next we’re wrapping ourselves up in trench coats and scarves. No joke.

So when Colorado-based wedding photographer Laura Murray offered to share a true springtime soirée from her archives, it truly warmed my soul.

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All Photos © Laura Murray

Bride and groom Annaleigh and Joe, who are both actors living in New York City, tied the knot in an idyllic mountain setting at Devil’s Thumb Ranch in Tabernash, Colorado (Annaleigh is from Colorado originally). The group shot on the cabin porch (above) is one of Murray’s favorites of the day because she loves “how it pulled all of the most important people (family and friends) together in one image, yet it still has a candid feel.

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Murray says a huge part of the day was the wedding planner’s involvement (Love This Day Events). “She did all the styling, coordination, and the flowers,” says Murray. “I always like to make sure I give credit to those that help make the day come together… especially those that go the extra mile to enable me to be successful on the wedding day. Planners make the day effortless so I don’t have to worry about a thing other than being present in the moment and capturing the beauty of the day!” 

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Of course with spring nuptials comes the chance of rain, and Murray says it started to pour right before the first-look shots were taken.  “Instead of changing the first look to an indoor location, I checked with the couple and we decided to go for it in the rain,” she says. “Two groomsmen held the umbrella over Annaleigh’s head as she walked into the forest to see Joe for the first time on the wedding day. My assistant kept an umbrella over my camera, so it stayed nice and dry.”

Annaleigh Joe 163 WeddingAnnaleigh Joe 162 WeddingAnnaleigh Joe 280 WeddingAnnaleigh Joe 238 WeddingOne standout moment for Murray was when the couple’s good friend, who is a singer/songwriter, played the ukulele while the bride walked down the aisle, and another: seeing the groomsmen all wearing bowties made by a company named Tie The Knot.

“This company supports marriage equality and one of the founders is a friend of Annaleigh and Joe,” Murray shares. “I also just loved that Annaleigh couldn’t picture herself in a white dress so instead she wore a blush pink dress that she had altered to be exactly what she wanted. She had her mom and bridesmaids wear cream/white.”

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Murray’s Wedding Day Gear Bag: 

  • Contax 645 with a 80mm 2.0 Zeiss lens
  • Portra 800 film
  • Fuji 400h film
  • Canon 5D Mark III
  • Canon 5D Mark II
  • Canon 50mm f/1.2 lens
  • Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 lens
  • Canon 85 mm f/1.2 lens
  • Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 lens
  • Canon 580EX Speedlite
  • Canon 430EX Flash
  • Holdfast Camera Straps
  • Think Tank Rolling Camera Bag

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“After family photos, we had more time budgeted for portraits, but it was still pouring,” Murray says. “I needed to think of something interesting to capture during this time, so I called everyone who showed up for pre-ceremony photos out onto the big cabin porch.

“We had immediate and extended family as well as a large wedding party—there were probably 40 people present! I had them pour out onto the cabin porch and captured lots of candids there. Since this group was quite loud, they were singing and yelling and having a grand ol’ time. I think their personalties shined through in these photos.”

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Email Jacqueline Tobin for Wedding of the Week submissions.

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Caribbean Style “I Do’s” by Thierry Joubert

Is This Real Life? Logan Cole Photographs Perfect Couple at Chateau in Normandy