May was such a busy month with so many great weddings, but I had been looking forward to this wedding at County Line Orchard for a while. Katrina and her bridesmaids started the day at VANIS SALON in Valparaiso. I arrived at about 10:00 a.m. when they were due to start getting ready. I stayed with the girls for about two hours getting candid photos and enjoyed the hospitality of the wonderful Vanis staff.

At around mid day I headed off to County Line Orchard to start getting detail photos and wait for the girls to arrive and get dressed. This was my third wedding at County Line Orchard this year already. It rocks as a venue and I am excited to have six weddings there this year. Katrina and Jeff had a great timeline planned, it allowed me to do photos of all the girls early while make up was fresh. I took the girls to a few places around the orchard then hid them so I could do photos of the guys. Katrina and Jeff chose to be traditional and not see each other. I love that! I never tell a couple to do a first look, or not to. I will share the advantages and disadvantages either way, but feel very strongly that it is not my day and my job is to adapt to what the couple wants at their wedding. First looks are great before the ceremony and give us photographers more time for photos, but there is no way to recreate the emotion on a grooms face as he sees his bride for the first time and she is walking down the aisle.

The ceremony was in the orchard and the weather was perfect, maybe a little humid, but a gentle breeze kept it pleasant. The rows of apple trees always provide a great backdrop for outdoor ceremonies at County Line Orchard. The reception was in the south barn and it was a great party. Here are some of our favorite photos from Katrina and Jeff’s wedding at County Line Orchard.