Taylor + Mike
I’m continuing on my mission to blog the huge backlog of past work that I love! Today I’m super excited to share Mike & Taylor’s downtown Davenport wedding.
Mike & Taylor got married on 4-3-21, so not only did they have a super fun wedding date, but Mother Nature also showed off with some perfect weather.
After they both got ready, we started the day with their first look and letter reading. They each wrote a letter for the other and then read it aloud. I love love letters. Help, there’s something in my eyyyyye.🥹 Tears. Every time. I can’t help it.
“Letter reading to each other … was such a beautiful moment where we could just relax and be us.” – Taylor
Having this private moment allowed them to make vows to each other in a way that felt comfortable. It also allowed them to have the quick ceremony they hoped for.
Taylor & Mike’s downtown wedding at Common Chord in Davenport, Iowa.
Common Chord (formerly River Music Experience) is such a cool space, and they hosted their ceremony & reception there.
Taylor & Mike earned the title of “Fastest Wedding Ceremony Ever,” clocking in at just over 6.5 minutes. That’s right, under 7 minutes. They even did a really unique unity ceremony with a custom whiskey barrel!
Keep scrolling to read about their favorite wedding day moments, advice for future couples, and song choices. The wedding day dream team of vendors are all linked at the bottom of the post!
What was your favorite moment from the wedding day?
Mike: “First look with the bride.”
What was your favorite moment from the wedding day?
Taylor: “Letter reading to each other. I just knew I wouldn’t be able to go after Mike. He has quite a poetic heart when he truly cares and puts his mind to something. I plan to re-read these to each other every anniversary. It was such a beautiful moment where we could just relax and be us with no pressure from others.”
If you could do it all over, would you change anything?
“We had so few leftovers! I would totally have eaten more cake and that AMAZING mac and cheese from Henn House BBQ!”
Share about your honeymoon/honeymoon plans:
“We considered it more of a mini-moon. With COVID, we went to Orlando so the bride could experience Diagon Alley. We had such a fun time there on rides and exploring, plus laying poolside with some drinks, almost burning bacon and setting off smoke detectors in our room, and betting on who would buy lunch over a game of mini golf. Lots of memories made, and it was a total 180 pace change from before the wedding.”
What was the funniest memory from your wedding day?
Mike: “The officiant forgot to say “You may now kiss the bride”! We just did it anyway.”
What was the funniest memory from your wedding day?
Taylor: “I may have initially forgotten to sign our license right after the ceremony like we were supposed to. Instead, upon our exit, I hastily made my way to the bar for a drink! Though, to be fair, the whole party followed me.”
First Dance | Over and Over by Ben Rector
Mother-Son Dance | One Last Dance with My Son by Kassie Wilson
Father-Daughter Dance | My Little Girl by Tim McGraw
Any advice for future couples?
“Find staff that meshes with your personality and can get along with each other!
We are chill, go with the flow, and “tell me exactly what to do” and “pose me” type people. So we wanted a crew that could keep us on track but not make us feel rushed.
Bonus for us they also enjoyed and laugh at our humor (which is outrageous). I knew I had made the best decision with Cat when she told us to be sneaky and stick our magnetic save the dates to people’s fridges and see how long until they noticed and questioned it. That’s hilarious, mischievous, and right up our alley!”
Anything else?
“Get a photo booth! We had one and turned it into our guestbook to prevent bottlenecks at the door, COVID, and all. Everyone had a blast and went back several times each. Now we have the memories that last more than a lifetime to look back on. It’s so fun to look at everyone’s day of and the messages they left with their photos.”
Wedding Day Vendor Dream Team
Behind the Scenes
I knew these two were going to be fun after photographing their engagement session, and they did not disappoint. We were laughing all day. Cheers to two years, Taylor & Mike! I’m so happy I was the one to document this day.
If these photos resonated with you, & you’re getting married in Iowa, Illinois, or Wisconsin click over to my contact form & drop me a line.
