Andrea & MattBackyard Wedding ReceptionShaker Heights

It was the middle of July when I found myself standing on a street corner. I was at Case Western Reserve University campus waiting for Andrea to arrive. We had spoken at length on numerous occasions, but we had yet to meet. Most of our conversations centered around the design for her backyard wedding reception. Certainly we talked about all the other details, but we kept coming back to the reception design. Andrea’s uncle was designing the small reception and we both anticipated something amazing.

Following the first look and wedding ceremony at Case Western, we headed over to Andrea’s home in Shaker Heights. What awaited us was beyond my expectations. The small backyard wedding reception for 20 guests was set under a sail cloth tent, just down the hill and across a stream from the main house. The tent sat in a small clearing, surrounded by gardens, trees and the narrow stream.

Underneath, a single long table occupied one side of the tent. Stretched across the table from end-to-end wear flower and candle arrangements. The back of the tented reception was occupied by a bar, with a lounge and dessert table completing the other side. A custom designed menu rested at the center of each place setting. Soon those menus were swept aside, replaced with edible creations by Spice Catering.

I keep coming back to this wedding. While small in guests, it was huge in style. Not to mention the gracious personalities of all involved, especially Andrea & Matt. After this experience, I have to say small, intimate backyard wedding receptions are my new favorite. I think you’ll certainly see why below.

For those interested, I captured this wedding almost exclusively on film. In fact, all of the images above are Fuji 400H film and most are medium format. I certainly hope you enjoyed.