Stroudsmoor Ridgecrest Wedding Photographers: Lauren & Dan

December 18, 2019

A vibrant autumn wedding filled with breathtaking scenery, a jam-packed dance floor fun, and heartfelt joy…
Lauren shared, “We chose Lisa as our wedding photographer because her work is AMAZING, we absolutely loved every photo we saw on her Instagram and blog. Her photos aren’t just photos they are pieces of art. We believe Lisa captures the emotion of the moment better than anyone else. We were looking for a photographer that could do more than take tradition shots that everyone expects. We chose Rhinehart Photography because wanted someone with an artistic eye.”
She continued, “Working with Lisa on our wedding day was wonderful, she is a joy to work with. ALL of my friends still comment on how nice and personable my photographer was. When we get out photos back are really looking forward to seeing the ones capturing the raw love of the day! We know all of them are going to be amazing!”
Awww, thank you! I opened with a photo from Lauren & Dan’s first look, on that artistically captured the raw emotion. This next photo is a close up of their wedding rings, I chose a background and lighting that would give it a luxe autumn feel…
I love capturing unique perspectives and bringing a lot into a frame. As Lauren finished her make-up I noticed that she was looking at the autumn leaves outside of the window. I was able to bring them into the photo by going outside and shooting through the glass– I love how it turned out!
Lauren’s friends gave her a massive scrapbook full of memories on the morning of her wedding. It was so sweet! Here she beams thanking them:

Lauren shared, “The overall look I was going for with our wedding was classic and romantic. Dan and I also really love the outdoors.”
I knew all of this going into the wedding day, here I brought in the romantic look of her gown, the classic look for the window panes and drapery while also bringing in the autumn leaves in the background. Here Lauren’s mother button’s her wedding gown. I love the classic black and white look and how it really shows off the lace and button detailing of her wedding gown.
Lauren’s sister held Lauren’s hand as her mother added her veil. I used the natural light to silhouette Lauren and to rim light her sister…
Awww her beautiful and proud mama…I love the intimate feel of this image! You are able to see every detail in her floral crown and even the pattern on her veil which was barely visible to me in real life!

Lauren’s sister drying her happy tears…
While the ladies were prepping in their suite with me, my second photographer was with the men capturing their pre-wedding preparations, too– bottom’s up, boys!

Here Dan reads a letter from Lauren, almost time for their “first look”
Dan shared, “When I first saw Lauren on our wedding day, I remember thinking that she looked angelic, she literally took my breath away and I stopped thinking entirely– I was just overcome with a happiness and excitement that I had never felt before.”
Lauren shared, “When I saw him for the first time on our wedding day I remember thinking, wow, I am one lucky girl. I also remember thinking omg this is really happening, I get to marry Dan today!”Lauren continued, “Simply put, he is the best person I know. He has such a unique personality and there is something just so special about him. Anyone that has met him knows what I am talking about. “Dan stated, “Lauren makes every day a good day. I am looking forward to spending every day with her for the rest of my life.”

Dan continued, “Once I got to know Lauren, I fell in love with her sense of humor (and the witty banter we share) and a great sense of adventure. She radiates kindness and lights up any room she is in. She is my best friend.”
While I love capturing candid moments and emotion, I also make sure to capture a few more traditional photographs as well. Here is one of Lauren & Dan:
Lauren explained, “We both love the outdoors, especially this time of year.”Lauren shared, “We work so well together because we make light of any situation. Our favorite thing to do together is “go on adventures.” We love going to new places and trying new experiences. With that being said, on an adventure, there is always a risk of the unknown and you are never really sure what to expect. We both try to look at every day like an adventure- that way every day if fun!”
Lauren smiled, “We also loved being able to have Abby (our puppy) join us for a little while on our wedding day. She is such a big part of lives and makes up our little family- we knew we had to include her in some way on our wedding day.”Party of 22—your forest is ready…
Strike a pose:

Lauren explained, “Fall is my favorite season so I overly excited when the trees began to turn colors and fall, just in time for our wedding day.”
All smiles:
So I basically climbed up into the trees for this shot! One thing I love about having a second photographer with me on the wedding day is that I can take more risks and get really creative shots during real moments. Here I was able to frame them in the trees and really capture the romantic feel of the whole scene while Pricilla captured the processional from the center aisle.
Daddy’s little girl:
The wind kept picking up Lauren’s veil, on this shot I let the veil, flowers, and gown be the main subject of the image:
It was very important that dan’s father was able to attend the wedding, here you can see the blue sky and a stunning view of the valley as well as Dan’s father in the foreground.

Working at Ridgecrest was such a treat for me– the open sky the deep valley, I moved throughout the ceremony space like a ninja looking for unique angles to capture the moments. Here I was able to show Lauren & Dan’s vows along with all of the fall foliage and the beautiful flowers and detailing on the gazebo as well…

The unity candle!

The ring exchange:
Kiss the bride…

Again, the same moment, two different photographers’ perspectives…Celebrate!
Proud mama!
Proud Papa:
Lauren explained, “We loved our first dance, we did not choreograph it because we decided that would put to much pressure on us the day-of to perfect it. We wanted that time to be special and fun for us so we decided just to go with the flow and hope for the best when we got out there.”Lovely speeches… here I got really low and worked some of the candlelight and champagne into the shot, adding some sparkle and shine, it complimented the bridesmaid’s gowns well…

Cheers!
Father-daughter dance: Party time! The dance floor was packed! So many delicious choices…
Kickin back, Hava Nagila style!! I love their expressions and Lauren’s bare feet!

Lauren’s father! Lauren explained, “The Ridgecrest at Stroudsmoor Country Inn was a perfect fit for us, it felt romantic and cozy and has one of a kind view of the valley. One of the highlights for us was the cigar bar, as we felt it really created a unique experience for our guests. We feel so grateful to have had such an amazing experience to kick off our lives as husband and wife.”

Wedding Professionals: