Cari & Arnel | Wedding at Hudson Gardens

On the morning of Cari & Arnel’s wedding day, I woke up with extremely red eyes that burned. I have pretty bad allergies in the summertime so I stocked it up to a high pollen count and used some allergy drops. When my eyes were still red, I started to panic.

Turns out I had an allergic reaction to a product I put on my face the previous day that was bad enough that allergy drops wouldn’t help. Through the day, I was kind of grateful I could blame my red eyes on allergies rather than me being the big cry baby that I am.

CARI AND ARNEL’S DAY WAS SO BEAUTIFUL AND I CRIED AT LEAST 4 TIMES.

Let me explain…

I think that the most beautiful thing that can happen at a wedding is for a bride & groom to be so madly in love that they don’t care who they show emotion in front of. Love and laughter came so easily to Cari & Arnel, and it was hard not to laugh and cry right alongside them.

That’s the weirdest (is that a word?) and best part about being a wedding photographer - you experience these memorable moments as a third party observer and are literally there to soak it all in.

Cari & Arnel had their ceremony at the Chapel at Red Rocks. There was a little bit of drizzle after the ceremony when we were supposed to be taking pictures, so I nuzzled them together under some trees and the show continued.

The reception was held at Hudson Gardens, and the weather had cleared up perfectly by the time we reached Littleton. Memorable parts of the reception included them playing the shoe game, sharing an emotional first dance, and the toasts that made it very obvious that Cari & Arnel are loved by everyone.

Favorite Detail: Her bouquet was made from pages of Harry Potter books, each table had antique books in the center, and even the cupcakes had fondant flowers that looked like they were cut out of a book. She was a big bookworm, and I loved how they wove that into their day.

Tear-Jerking Moment: When she read a letter Arnel wrote for her before the ceremony and started to cry. So, so beautiful.

A Cari & Arnel Kind of Love: A love with so much laughter, it’s ridiculous! The kind of love that finds joy in the little things, and always finds joy in each other.

Cari & Arnel - I know you two will be making each other laugh for the rest of your lives. Congratulations! And without further ado... here are some of the pictures from their wedding day!