Blake and Joyce's Destination Wedding

How both our wedding ceremony and reception venue cancelled on us… and our wedding day was still absolutely perfect…

Normally all the “credit” to the vendors goes at the end of a blog post but due to this story… we need to start off with our wedding dream team that I can’t speak highly enough about.

Photography: Elena Marchak
Venues: VRBO Rental
Naples Bay Resort (Jennifer)
Ocean Prime (Rick)+ Truluck’s
Florist: Tom Trovato Event Floral
Rentals: Trinity Event Special Events
Dress: The Bride and Groom
Tux: The Bride and Groom
Shoes: Blake: Smythe & Digby
Joyce: Badgley Mischka
Stationery: The Onyx Press
Officiant: Reverend Wayne Knox
Reception: Truluck’s

Joyce and I had originally planned to elope in Yosemite when we got engaged in 2018. With minimal amount of people as possible. Working weddings every weekend for years we realized how stressful and not in the moment people can be so we wanted the exact opposite. But as time passed we realized we wanted a few more of our closest wolf pack members there to celebrate and be with us. Tossing ideas and locations around we finally ended on Naples, Florida. Our favorite beach in the world.

Our first trip ever to Naples we visited a park on the beach, I took a photo of Joyce and made the comment “It would be amazing to get married here one day.” Fast forward ~3 years and we decided to get married at that exact same park. Everything is going great… Then 2020 arrived and so did Covid. We had already planned an intimate wedding with around 20 people, so we decided to press on. Just to make sure everything was okay we decided to reach out to the City of Naples about a month in advance and touch base about the park. The informed us they had cancelled all wedding permits for the park the entire month of June. Stress began to sink in. I started reaching out to other venues in the area in attempt to move everything. We were having zero luck. With our reception at a different location they didn’t want to just rent a space for an hour. They wanted to obligate us to our reception at the same venue in order for the food/alcohol sales. I get it, but was very deflating.

Cue Tom Trovato walk out music

I found Tom our florist via instagram hashtags when searching for someone that could execute the look we wanted. I chatted him on Instagram, and within a few messages I knew he was the guy for us. I reached out to Tom to let him know we now didn’t have a wedding venue and to share our stressful situation searching for another. (remember this is roughly a month before our wedding) He said he would reach out to some venues to see what he could do. Which brought me to Jennifer at Naples Bay Resort. She welcomed us with open arms. She understood the awkward Covid situations, us traveling from another state, not knowing many vendors there, and was just there to help. I can’t say enough good things about not only her but the amazing resort. We will be 100% staying at Naples Bay Resort for all of our future trips to Naples and you should do the same. Tom and Jennifer, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You two were heaven sent and helped more than you’ll ever know.

Cue expected semi-stressful wedding planning for the weeks leading upto the wedding

We are in Naples. Everything is great! Weather is a bit hot but that is part of South Florida in June. Our closest wolf pack has arrived safely in town and getting settled in. Me and the guys go deep sea fishing, I catch the most and the biggest fish ;). The place we rented for everyone is on the bay, with a pool and a huge kitchen so Joyce’s dad (formerly in the restaurant business, he loved cooking for everyone). Not a worry in the world except getting sunburn.

Joyce had been in contact with the reception venue (Ocean Prime - Rick) for the time leading upto our wedding. We had been there in the years past and fell in love with the place. Some of the best food and the environment is top shelf. It’s on 5th (think main street) and is one of the most picturesque locations in a beach town I can think of.

It’s the day of the wedding and we are all getting ready a few hours before the ceremony and Rick (The manager of our reception venue) calls Joyce. “Joyce! I have good news and bad news… The bad news is we can not host your reception tonight due to a corporate wide shutdown for the day, BUT the good news! I have already handled the situation. Our neighboring restaurant “Truluck’s” has agreed to take you guys in and honor your menu. I’ve already called all vendors that need to know and let them know too. I am so sorry!” Not having much choice at that point we roll with it and let it be a stress free environment. Having never been to Truluck’s we didn’t know what to expect but it. was. absolutely. perfect. The food was amazing, the staff was so helpful, and it turned into a really good story to tell. Rick felt bad for the situation and sent over a nice bottle of champagne from Ocean Prime for us to celebrate with. The following nights after Ocean Prime had re-opened Rick thought the bottle wasn’t enough and offered us a “honeymoon dinner” on the house at our favorite restaurant which was as amazing as you’d expect. Rick, if you read this, thank you for everything. You are amazing.

So that is the story of how our ceremony venue cancelled on us a month before and our reception cancelled on us the day of and it was absolutely perfect. I can’t thank our vendors enough for all their hard work. I can’t say enough good things about them. And for all our friends and family that helped and traveled to be a part of it, thank you for being a part of our Wolf Pack. We love you all very much.

Now enjoy all of these amazing photos from Elena. She blew us away, I can’t say enough great things about her and her work.

A little girl with her mom just out of frame came outside to tell Joyce she looked like a princess.

Polaroid… please sponsor me.

The above photo turned out this polaroid.

I picked up two new beautiful sisters in the situation and it makes my heart happy.

My grandad couldn’t make the trip due to distance and Covid, but he got to watch via FaceTime with us.

Our friend Wayne (pictured with us bottom right) got ordained especially for this event just to legally marry us.

I requested that Elena (our photographer) participate in the bouquet toss and let me photograph it. You can see her avoiding it with her fingers clinched in the left photo (far right wearing all black). She didn’t catch it but… SHE’S NOW ENGAGED TO GET MARRIED!!!!!! So happy for her.

Cassie and Ross

I photographed my cousin’s wedding at The Barn at Lakeside in Hamilton, Mississippi. It made me value and understand better what wedding photos mean to my clients as well as their family. It was a beautiful day (that started off cold) and I’m so glad I got to be a part of it.

Photographer: Blake McCollum Photography
Venue: The Barn at Lakeside
Dresses: The Bride and Groom
Tuxes: The Bride and Groom
Rings: Solid Gold Jewelers & Rae’s Jewelry
Catering:Table of Plenty (Martin Wages)
Cakes: Taylor Made Cakes
DJ: Ronnie Rainey

That’s me.

The Proposal

I get to marry my best friend and I couldn’t be happier about it. And here is the story about how the image above was made and how I asked the question.

Here is how it all went down…

To begin Joyce and I have had our portrait taken multiple times by my friend Michael Foster using his antique versions of photography. Some of the processes he does are almost extinct dating back to 1840’s but they are incredibly beautiful and timeless. I had the idea long ago about a proposal on tintype but would require a little back end work.

The Ring:

With the help of google, youtube, and Erin and Rae’s Jewelry I felt like I was almost ready to open my own jewelry store with my wealth of knowledge. I can’t say enough great things about Rae’s. Held my hand through the process, helped me find exactly what I was looking for, and made it perfect. Here is a link to their Instagram: Rae’s Jewelry

Another big piece of info you need is the size (Joyce doesn’t wear a lot of rings) so I had her friend Tiffany contact Joyce about a year ago saying “my friend is starting a new jewelry company and needs average sizes of different people.” So Joyce had over 15 measurements done of her hands for that. I could have 3D printed her hand with all the info supplied by her.

The Idea:

My number 1 goal was for Joyce to know nothing, have zero clue. SO I decided to let her getting in front of the camera be her idea instead of mine. Michael (photographer) sent a group message to us claiming he had a big job on Saturday and wanted to test his chemicals because they can literally go bad in a day. He mentioned bringing Mandy (our dog) and that was all that needed to be said. We went scouting for locations the same day. In the group message I was asking for Michael’s thoughts, looks, vibes, etc to look clueless as possible. It worked.

The (photo) Process:

Okay this is a bit over my head so I’ll do my best to summarize. Imagine 35MM film you in the past dropped off at walmart to be developed. That film is light sensitive due to chemistry put onto the film. Okay rewind 150 years before film existed BUT the chemistry to create light sensitivity did exist, and they would coat things like glass (it’s called an Ambrotype). We did 8x10 plates. The lens was a replica of one built from 1840 (to give you an idea of how old the process is) The blacks vanish and the highlights stay. You take the glass and mount it against a black velvet and you see what you see. That later turned into Tin Types, sorta the same process but now the vessel wasn’t glass so there was no need for black backing, the could just paint the tin black. The process is chemistry heavy and a “pain in the ass” but it’s the most beautiful thing ever. Watch this video to see how the process is done:

The Proposal:

Photoshoot is underway. We did a test shot with Mandy to make sure the chemistry worked. Micheal said “literally I don’t know if this will work until the first one develops” which made me sweat. The exposure time is roughly 3 seconds which means you must stand VERY still. Mandy moved her head, I just swayed a little. So a little blurry but exposure was dead on.

Second photo: (THE PHOTO) Michael brings joyce into the trailer to watch him prep the glass. She claimed she remembered it from the Tin Types but he insisted…. so I could get the ring. I’m nervous, sweating, heart beating and he lines us up for the next photo. Joyce is giggling, moving, etc asking “are you gonna smile?” me nervous as hell quickly and sternly say “nope…. not smiling.” Another 3 second exposure,” Michael says. I tell Joyce, “No matter what happens trust me and do what I say.” I turn to her, take a knee, tell her, “I love you and DO NOT MOVE!” I can hear Michael in the background counting out loud and finally gives us the go ahead to move once the exposure is over.


The Cover Ups:

Micheal really did need to test his chemicals. But he didn’t just “happen to be in town.” We had discussed actually weeks in advance just testing some things out and playing with the camera so the planets kinda aligned there.

I actually took my camera (obviously) saying I wanted to blog about Michael and his process because he was being so cool to do a test with us.

I had quite a few “photoshoots” and “meetings” in Columbus during the early stages. It’s tough to get an hour away from home without any questions or suspicions arising.

He even let Joyce develop (to positive) the image of the proposal.

Possibly my favorite photo. This is Libby Li, Joyce’s little sister.

(below) Random Assortment of iPhone Pics from all those around:

Polaroid of everyone that was there.

Special thanks to a lot of special people that were involved:

Blaine and Corie Walters: They helped me create fake photoshoots at their store (The Bride and Groom) to get me out of Tupelo and to Columbus while ring shopping.

Erin at Rae’s Jewelry: Imagine knowing little to nothing about an important subject and a professional offers to hold your hand through it. She was a saint. Can’t say enough good things about her and Rae’s. (Columbus, MS).

Tiffany Stewart: Thanks for your support and getting that ring size…. like twice because I lost my phone.

Barrett Edens: “The Runner” he secured the package in Columbus and delivered it for me. PS he’s a hell of a good butcher/cattle farmer in West Point, MS at FarmHouse

Michael Foster: The Collodion God…. a true artist.
Michael’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelnfoster/
Michael’s Website: https://michaelnfoster.com/upcoming-events/

Libby and Alisha: I love you both more than you will ever know. Thanks for all the help, translating, coordinating, and being the sisters I always wanted.

Kermits Outlaw Kitchen: Had an amazing dinner afterwards along with some delicious drinks. Thanks Meg ;)

Riley and Alyssa: For letting family crash at your place for a bit and just being amazing human beings.

Tupelo Cotton Mill: Thanks for letting us use your building. It’s beautiful and thanks Mr. Pirkle for putting so much work into that place. It’s going to be a highlight of the city.

Mikayla and David

I got to explore a secret garden, photograph a beautiful wedding, and hang with some great people all at the same time. Win, win, win. 

“Built in 1840 The Colonnade was owned by Dr. and Mrs. Sanders previously (Groom’s grandparents). Mrs. Margaret Sanders loved to garden. The current owners are Dr. and Mrs. Hill.”

Photographer: Blake McCollum Photography
Videographer: Parker Media 
Venue: The Colonnade (Ceremony) The Ritz (Reception) 
Florist: Meryl Fitzackerly
Hair and Makeup: Devan Ellington
Catering: Harding Catering
Dress: The Bride and Groom
Tuxes: The Bride and Groom
Jewelry/Rings: Calvins
Band: Juke Joint Allstars
Invitations and programs: Minted,  Party & Paper

JoAnna and Jack

JoAnna and Jack had such a beautiful wedding day in downtown Columbus, MS. They have been such a great couple to get to know over the recent months. From total strangers to sharing drinks in a corn field in no time flat. (if you are curious about that part.... click here) I was totally honored to get to know these awesome people and be a part of their wedding day. 

• Venue: Shadowlawn Bed and Breakfast

  • First Baptist Church Columbus (ceremony)

  • Trotter Convention Center (reception)

• Hair: Conn Salon & Makeup: Anna Hester

• Florist: The Rambling Rose

• Catering: Harding Catering

• Cakes: Steve Stockton

• Attire: The Bride and Groom

• Band: Crackerjacks

• Getaway vehicle: JoAnna's Great grandmother's 55 Bel-Aire in "Anniversary Gold"