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A Louisville wedding at the Olmsted with Mariachi Music and a Gender Reveal

March 16, 2023

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One of my favorite things about being a wedding photographer is getting to see how each couple personalizes their celebration. This wedding at our Lady of Lourdes and reception at the Olmsted combines Carolina and Bryan’s sophisticated style with cultural traditions, plus a family surprise!

The Mexican bride and her groom dance with Mariachi hats on while the band plays and sings in the background

Celebrating their marriage at last

Caro and Bryan got married at the beginning of the pandemic, and she had called me to see if I was able to photograph their intimate ceremony. Meanwhile, I was on my way to capture another intimate ceremony for one of my college friends! They decided to officially celebrate their marriage in March of 2022 once they could have all their family and friends together. 

Bride walks down the aisle, accompanied by her brother and mother
Groom stands at altar waiting for his bride
A photo of the bride, her brother and mother from behind with the groom in the background smiling
A guest's perspective photo of the groom in focus as he smiles at his bride
A black and white photo of the bride wiping away happy tears at the altar
The bride and groom share a kiss at the altar
After the ceremony, the overjoyed bride hugs her mother
The bride's brother holds her face and congratulates her after the ceremony

After a beautiful, emotional, family and faith-centered ceremony at Our Lady of Lourdes, we took time for some rainy day portraits at Crescent Hill Reservoir and group wedding portraits inside the Olmsted. 

The bride and groom walk up the stairs with an umbrella to stay dry
A black and white portrait of the couple walking upstairs with their umbrella to stay dry
Another perspective of the newlyweds walking up the stairs with their umbrella
The bride wears a pink coat over her wedding dress to stay warm and the groom holds her close to stay warm
The couple puts their hands on the bride's belly over their soon to be son
The groom and his groomsmen pose in a V formation
The bride is in the center of her bridesmaids and smiles at them
The bride and bridesmaids have their backs to the camera. The bridesmaids look towards the bride.
The stunning bride wears a long sleeved Paloma Blanca dress
The beautiful bride poses with one hand above and one hand below her baby bump
The stylish groom sits in a fancy armchair in his black tux

Toasts and Cake Cutting

Everyone loves the speeches that are heartfelt and sentimental. We all got a little misty-eyed listening to the kind things the couples’ family and closest friends had to share with us. Their wedding cake also holds a lot of history – it was the cake topper used for Bryan’s grandparents’ wedding cake!

The newlyweds make their grand entrance into the reception
The bride and groom look up at her brother as he shares a toast
The bride wipes away tears as her maid of honor shares her toast
The bride raises a glass to celebrate the toast
The bride and groom cut into their three tier cake, topped with the groom's grandparent's cake topper
The bride and groom raise their forks to feed each other a slice of their delicious wedding cake
A close up detail photo of the two vintage champagne glasses in front of their white cake on a golden cake stand
A photo of the couple's three tier white cake with flowers and a cake topper from the groom's grandparents. In front of the cake are two champagne glasses.

A gender reveal to remember

I absolutely loved how Bryan and Carolina chose to do a gender reveal with their family and friends present – it was such a fun surprise! Everyone got so emotional when the blue balloons burst out of the mystery balloon – they now have a healthy baby boy, who is the cutest little thing.

The couple gets ready to pop the gender reveal balloon
The balloon explodes, releasing dozens of tiny blue balloons in a gender reveal surprise
The newlyweds embrace with excitement over the news
A little flower girl rushes to collect the blue balloons to play with
The bride sheds happy tears as her family comes to congratulate her
The groom hugs his family with excitement

The dance party of the year

After the excitement of the gender reveal, it was time to get the dancing started and keep the good times rolling.

A purple glow illuminates the dance floor for the couple's first dance
The newlyweds face each other and hold hands for their first dance
The bride shares an intimate moment with her mother as they dance together
The bride shares a warm hug with her brother for another special dance
The groom dances a waltz with his mother
The bride shares a dance with the father of th egroom
The groom dances with his mother, and his father asks his bride to dance

Let me tell you I’ve never seen someone with more energy than our pregnant bride dancing the Caballo Dorado!!! The dance floor was full the whole night long, shout out to DJ Sánchez for keeping everyone entertained! 

Towards the end of the reception, Mariachi Azteca arrived to serenade us with classic Mexican mariachi tunes as well as incredible covers like Tennessee Whiskey. Everyone enjoyed the late night churro station and the tequila shots being passed out!

The bride places a mariachi hat on her groom

For couples planning your wedding now, make it your goal to create an experience that fits your personalities and fill it with meaningful traditions that you and your loved ones will enjoy.

Vendor List:

Ceremony: Our Lady of Lourdes

Reception venue: The Olmsted

Dress: Paloma Blanca

Videographer: Jeremy McKeel

Catering: Masterson’s Catering

Cake: Plehn’s Bakery

DJ: DJ Sánchez

Live music: Mariachi Azteca

If you loved this blog post, you need to see these other sweet ceremonies I photographed!

An Intimate Florida Destination Wedding

A Winter Wedding at Conrad-Caldwell House

Create Meaningful Moments on Your Wedding Day

Johanna (photographer here) stands with the newlyweds for a photo as they wear their mariachi hats

Johanna Hribal is a wedding photographer based in Louisville, Kentucky. She enjoys traveling to other states and countries for weddings and elopements whenever possible! People love her colorful and vibrant edits and the way she captures their love in a natural and non-intrusive way. Click here to visit her website to learn more about current wedding collections.

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