Matt and Mackenzie's Magical Winter Wedding at St. Elizabeth of Hungary and Mellwood Art Center

This beautiful winter wedding was a calm end to a chaotic 2020. Mackenzie and Matt are an artistic couple and I remember that we clicked immediately upon meeting. Mackenzie is also a fantastic botanical artist. I was able to shoot this wedding working alongside Adam Mescan of Shutter Photo & Film. who did an amazing job covering the guys getting ready as well as providing a second perspective during the ceremony at St. Elizabeth of Hungary. Their beautiful reception took place at Mellwood Art Center in Louisville.

CEREMONY

We didn't have a first look, so Mackenzie walking down the aisle was the first time that Matt saw her. We did the posed group portraits at the altar immediately following the ceremony and squeezed in some couple's portraits right outside the church after the group portraits.

COUPLE'S PORTRAITS

We had quite the entourage shooting Matt and Mackenzie outside St. Elizabeth of Hungary after the ceremony. There were two photographers, two photographer guys shadowing me, and three videographers. Cheers to Matt and Mackenzie for putting up with all of us and our demands at the same time in cold temperatures!

RECEPTION

I love the industrial atmosphere and myriad textures of Mellwood Art Center, I've been there many many times but I still get lost in all its hallways and cubicle studios. Mellwood is one of my favorite venues in Louisville. Mackenzie and Matt's reception was in the beautiful Monet Room. I love the string lights in the background that create a wonderful bokeh for the first dance photos. Also, the DJ provided me with the perfect spotlight-style lighting so there was no need for me to overpower it with my flash . . .so uh, thanks DJ!

Father daughter dance

Mother-son dance

Bouquet toss

One of my favorite things about shooting with the Sony Alpha series now is the ability to shoot in near darkness without horrible grain. I shot this sparkler exit at about 2500 ISO and they turned out sharp, contrasty with not very much noise. More importantly, the Sony was able to focus on my clients' faces even when hunting around in the dark. This is super important for events such as sparkler exits when you don't get a second chance to nail it.

One of my favorite sparkler exits to date. :)

Ceremony location: St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Louisville, Ky.

Reception location: Mellwood Art Center, Louisville, Ky.

©All photos Stef Elizabeth Photo | Wedding Photographer Serving Louisville, Lexington, Cincinnati and Worldwide