Grace & Joe had a classic and elegant St. Pius X Wedding June 29th of this year which was officiated by Father Eric Burgener. This was my first time photographing a wedding at St. Pius X and I was just blown away by how beautiful it was inside. I live nearby and I knew that they had recently added on and expended, but didn’t realize just how much amazing attention to detail there was.

Grace & Joe have been blessed to know each other for literally almost their entire lives, starting with the same daycare. They also went to the same jr. high and high school and began dating in 10th grade. Clearly it was more than meant to be! When asked what he loved about Grace, Joe told me he loves her big heart; she is so good at loving any and everyone (and a bonus she has a cute butt too!). When I asked Grace the same question she said she loves Joe’s sense of humor, that he never fails to make her laugh and having him around fills life with joy.

Their St. Pius X Wedding was simple, DIY and wildly elegant. Grace wore a spaghetti strap cream colored gown with a slightly plunging beaded neckline which was purchased from Davids Bridal. The bridesmaids wore gowns in different styles in a rich lavender color also purchased from Davids Bridal. The groom and his groomsmen wore blue suits with blush colored ties that were purchased online. Flowers were purchased from vendors at the South Bend Famers Market and DIY’d by the bride and her family.

Grace & Joe had their reception at the Trinity School at Greenlawn Athletic Center and was catered by a mix of DIY horderves purchased from Costco and Garden Fresh Catering. The decorations and again floral was all done by the bride, groom and their family. They had a friend man the music and the two danced their first dance to Golden Heart by Mark Knopfler.

I asked Joe and Grace why they picked their first dance song and they told me “We chose this song because we wanted to dance to something that we’d heard before that touched us, we didn’t want to choose something cheesy just because it was about a wedding or love in general. When we were reminded of this song it made Joe tear up, and the line “nothing in the world prepared me for your heart, your golden heart” really resonated with the both of us.”