New Water Farms Wedding | Rachael + Cory | Birmingham Wedding Photographer

Ah, what a wedding I have to share with yall! Over the years, I have shared some great moments with friends relaxing on the lake.I don’t get to make it to the lake much these days. So there was much excitement when I found out that a lake would be the backdrop to Rachael and Cory’s wedding day. I’m still smiling at all the wonderful memories. I met Rachael and Cory a few years ago while photographing Rachael’s brother’s wedding. I was very honored when Rachael asked me to photograph her special day.

Wedding Venue

This was my first time at New Water Farms in Dadeville, Alabama and my first time to take in the peaceful landscape of Lake Martin. New Water Farms offers a great environment for a wedding weekend. It is located on a 22-acre waterfront property. The open-air chapel provides impressive views of Lake Martin. A few hundred yards from the chapel, New Water Farms offers an indoor/outdoor reception facility. The great open-concept allows guests to enjoy all the reception events. The reception area can seat over 200 guests. The property also offers housing options for the wedding weekend. One of my favorite photography spots was a little beach area that reminded me of being on the Gulf Coast at sunset.

Wedding Day

The girls started their day by getting ready in the cute little house on top of the hill. Rachael had a relaxing morning and enjoyed a first look with her bridesmaids and dad before going down to the chapel for a first look with Cory. The day was quite breezy, but it did not seem to dampen anyone’s spirits. Rachael and Cory were so flexible and smiled through the wind. I loved all of the natural movement the wind created in Rachael’s dress throughout the formal portraits. We scheduled the day to photograph most of the formals before the ceremony. This is an ideal way of scheduling a wedding day. After the ceremony, the couple can go enjoy guests at the cocktail hour and reception.

Before the ceremony, the wedding party and close family circled together with the couple for a prayer. Guests began to arrive at the chapel on an afternoon filled with sunshine. As the wedding party began to line-up for the processional, a classic car drove the bride and her parents to the chapel. The wind blew the floor-length emerald gowns as the bridesmaids walked down the aisle. Each bridesmaid wore a like pink floral piece in their hair.  Everyone was all smiles as Rachael’s dad escorted her to her groom. The traditional service included a prayer by Rachael’s brother and a reading by a friend. The service ended with the sweetest of first kisses and Rachael and Cory were driven in the classic car down the long drive to the reception area.

The celebratory festivities began in the late afternoon with a relaxing cocktail hour followed by first dances. Rachael and Cory’s first dance was very sweet and loving. Emotions built as the bride danced with her dad and the groom escorted his mom to the dance floor for some time together. The bride also surprised her mom with a first dance which turned into dances with multiple members of the family. After dinner, the evening continued with toasts from the best man, the two maids of honor, and the bride’s father. As dusk settled the party ramped up with fun dancing and a grand finale with a sparkler exit.

Bride and Groom

The couple chose to get married at New Water Farms because of the gorgeous landscape and architecture of the property. Here are a few questions I asked Rachael & Cory during the wedding planning.