Posted by Aly:

So far this year, we’ve had the opportunity to photograph loads of beautiful weddings, each filled with wonderful people, fabulously planned details, and tender moments that we always feel blessed to capture for our clients. But nothing quite compares to photographing the wedding of a close friend.

Anna and I grew up on the same street – her family lived just down the road from mine. Although we were a few years apart in school, we spent many afternoons playing and laughing together. This usually included something imaginative like planning a wedding for our dogs or collecting “Polly Pockets” (which, at this point, we were way too old to be playing with).

Anna was always very athletic and loved sports – she was never seen wearing a dress. You can imagine my surprise when she told me that she would, in fact, be wearing a white wedding gown on wedding day! The best part about her ensemble, though, was that she opted for purple running shoes (instead of heels).

And Anna’s choice of shoe reflected the mood of the entire day. She and Dave enjoyed a beautiful, relaxing day together. We planned their first look to take place in Oakland near Panther Hollow. After a few quiet moments together, the laughter began and continued throughout the day. Anna and Dave are wonderful together – you can see it in their smiles and laughs. After a great photo session around Panther Hollow, we headed inside to prepare for their ceremony and reception, which both took place at Phipps.

Check out some of our favorite images from their day:

As a funny gift for Anna, I was able to obtain a retro wedding-themed Polly Pocket from ebay.

Anna’s mom was speechless when she saw Anna in her gown.

We had to get some pictures with the banana tree inside Phipps, as “Anna Banana” was Anna’s nickname.

Loved Anna and Dave’s fun purple details! Dave was a graduate of Northwestern University, so they decided to incorporate the school’s colors into their wedding day. They chose to name their tables after their favorite Pixar films, and Anna even created their cute cake topper – a nod to their favorite sports.

One of the most touching moments of the day had to be Anna’s father, David, singing to her before their dance together. He’s a great singer and wooed the crowd with “The way you look tonight.” After singing the first verse to her, David let Michael Buble sing the second verse as he danced with his daughter.

Matt Swaoger, of BPM Deejays, kept the party rockin’ on the dance floor.

Thanks so much, Anna and Dave, for letting us be a part of your wedding. Congratulations to you both!!!!