Photographed by my amazing Associate Photographer, Alice Feldt! If you don’t know Alice, she’s fun, smart and sweet! Her photo style is similar to mine and sometimes when we shoot together, I can’t always tell who shot what. Alice has been shooting weddings for even longer than I have and we met studying photography at Columbia College.

Now onto the backyard wedding that Alice knocked out of the park!

Guest Count: 17

Location: Backyard in Villa Park

Erica and Paul downsized their wedding plans and carried on with a fun and safe backyard celebration at home!

“We signed a contract pre-covid, downsized a wedding from 150 to 17, from a Bath House to a backyard, and Fuller Photo Co was alongside us, full of love and support every step of the way. Jordan and Alice were beyond incredible - and OH MY GOSH, THE PICTURES.”

Alice showed up in time for some getting ready photos before the first look. Moments with family are quickly becoming one of my favorite things about these small, at home weddings

You’ve gotta love a first look that involves the bride restyling the groom’s hair!

At home / small wedding portraits are so much more laid back and fun and not to mention, it’s so much easier to make your dog a part of your wedding day!

Erica & Paul had one of the smartest covid safe cocktail and food plans I’ve seen yet. They had pre-made cocktails where you just needed to add your own ice and individually laid out apps!

Having the couples dog walk down the aisle (with the help of some treats) is maybe one of my favorite things I’ve seen at a wedding (and I wasn’t even there in person)!

It just really doesn’t get much better than a short and sweet ceremony with your closest friends and family! I especially love how they set up the ceremony space in this backyard.

Back in pre-covid times, Alice and I were able to meet up with Erica and Paul at one of our favorite bars, Scofflaw. These two won us over immediately with their fun and sweet personalities. One of the biggest things they had to express at out first meeting was how important it was to include Paul’s brother Danny who is no longer with us, into their wedding day. I love all of the little details they included in their day to honor and include Danny. Including a great toast near the end of the night that Alice captured.

I think that some couples are worried that the backyard reception won’t feel like a real celebration but I truly think that they can be even more meaningful! Just look at all of these sweet moments:

I potentially sound like a broken record here, but your small wedding reception can still include pretty much all of your original plans. Speeches can still be made, the cake can still be cut and you can still dance in a way that you’re comfortable with.