I was super stoked for Charissa and Rozanne’s Shenandoah Mill wedding in Gilbert, AZ. It was our first wedding of 2016 and this would be the first time we have shot a wedding at Shenandoah Mill. This excitement, however, was rudely interrupted by a driver, who wasn’t paying much attention to the road, rear ending me on my way to the wedding. This little accident detour happened 1 hour before I was supposed to arrive for their Shenandoah Mill wedding. Luckily, we typically plan to arrive at our wedding locations a little early to scope it out.
After wrapping up everything at the scene of the accident, I got back on track and arrived and Shenandoah Mill with 5 minutes to spare and got straight to work. Charissa and Roxanne had blocked off a section of the only getting ready room on property with a wall of sheets. It was a unique touch to the DIY decor and so fitting for these two who were rolling through their day as chill as ever. Getting ready was a breeze. Charissa was done and ready to rock early on, which gave her plenty of time to rewrite her vows (HAHA!) All of the little nieces and nephews had a blast running around going nuts. There were a TON of kiddos at this wedding jumping off of rocks, playing tackle football in the grass, screaming during the ceremony, and monopolizing the dance floor as soon as the DJ drops “Watch Me“. It really added to that family/backyard wedding feel that these two were going for!
The ceremony was sweet and simple followed by a few quick portraits of Charissa and Rozanne before the sun slid behind the horizon. We got some great shots of them in front of the big water churn, which is probably one of the bigger reasons couples may choose this venue. You truly feel like you are getting married in an old mill. Lots of old wood and water surrounded by green vines and trees. Totally out of place for what you think you might find from a Phoenix wedding venue.
Their reception was full of lots of vodka (good times right there!), great home-made-style Mexican food, and a club DJ who kept the music going strong so these people could party hard. One of my favorite moments from the reception was when their son, Isaiah, gave a hand written toast talking about how much he loves his moms. The tears were flowing!! That prompted all of the little kids to grab the mic one by one and share why they love their families. Kids say the cutest things so, as you might imagine, all of the adults were oohing and awwwing all over the place.
I hope you enjoy checking out this wedding that I shot with my mad skills as well as whiplash and a concussion – no joke!
-Robin
