Jamie & Duncan’s Micro Wedding Portraits

Today we are featuring Jamie & Duncan’s micro wedding portraits, a romantic portrait session that took place a little while after their actual wedding day but still holds all the beauty & charm as if they were taken the day they said their vows. Elegant details paired with a stunning & bold bouquet truly make these photos attention grabbing. Something that stands out to me is Duncan wore two jackets for their portraits, the camel-colored jacket belonged to his late grandfather. I love to see couples incorporate sentimental details into their celebration, making it even more special!

“Jamie and Duncan met at University and quickly fell into step with one another, enjoying a windswept romance which was set to be culminated in a beautiful Spring-time wedding at a beautiful family home in Virginia, but they ended up joining the wave of 2020 couples who chose to elope and face this pandemic and complicated season of life together in marriage. They held a sweet and intimate elopement in a local park with family and friends observing from a distance or online from across the country on the day that they got the keys to their first home. The local news even covered their bright story in the middle of what has been a turbulent year to say the least!

However, Jamie and Duncan didn’t forget their original formal celebration vision, and during a trip to Indiana they took time to capture some photographs that reflected the romance and the calm anchoring of simply being together – two souls together, no matter what happens in the world.

Their elegant and romantic portrait session accented with personal touches was curated by Anna Clark Photography in Bloomington, Indiana. Their goal together was to capture images which would be a timeless celebration of their marriage and while more formal, would still feel connected to their Spring elopement and the emotions of that day.

On a beautiful and warm early fall morning, far past the jitters and nerves of the wedding day a few months before, they donned their intended wedding clothes and celebrated their togetherness.

Jamie’s Lilian West gown from Ashley Grace Bridal, which mixed organic and romantic lace and details with a modern and sleek skirt, drove the inspiration for incredible florals by Pomp and Bloom. A lush bouquet and boutonniere of purple and burgundy jewel tones with balancing touches of blush and cream and a hint of delicate metallic shine, completed with a softly draped ribbon from Silk and Willow, framed the pair perfectly and celebrated in their first Autumn as a married couple. Jamie, a professional hair and makeup artist, crafted a romantic loosely pinned updo and brought in subtle hints of berry tones throughout her makeup as a beautiful echo of the color palette.

Duncan chose two jackets to wear, the first of which being a beautiful camel-colored jacket captured in the courtyard of Indiana University’s Sample Gates. This jacket had belonged to his late beloved grandfather, and was worn to honor their loving relationship. He then changed into a luxe black corduroy jacket for a tuxedo-but-relaxed formal look to twirl Jamie around the impromptu dance floor of the intimate and chic FAR Center for Contemporary Arts.

Jamie and Duncan had exchanged personally written vows during their elopement, and Creative in Bloom used them to dream up an organic and romantic wedding announcement suite which incorporated portions of each of their vows, captured in crisp white calligraphy on a richly textured purple backdrop.

With a wide span of ways to navigate this unique season for engaged couples, Jamie and Duncan are a picture of the resilience of all who are going through this pandemic, proving that whether things happen according to plan or not – their love story is a piece of art.” – Anna Clark Photo

How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another?
“We met at work, but what also happened to be our college. We were working in different departments but the same office. I would walk up to Jamie’s desk and ask questions and assist students. One fateful day, I invited Jamie to my book club, and the book was Catcher In The Rye. Jamie insisted she had read that book, and wanted to talk more about it, over coffee. Jamie never actually attended the book club, but we started dating.”

Tell us a funny story relating to your wedding day or relationship!
“The morning of our wedding, we closed on our house. We got a call an hour later, to be featured on the local news. We got married in a park, because COVID was full storm! It was special, and my dad did the ceremony. All brought together within 24 hours my love and community support.”

If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be?
“Don’t do it! Just kidding, in all seriousness make it about you and your significant other. Nothing else matters. If you are happy and comfortable with your plans and your day. Then feeling at peace with your spouse to be is all that matters. Looking back, our experience was something we cherished, make sure you are instilling that mentality to the day.”

Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship or during your wedding planning.
“Our largest hurdle was COVID. Our wedding was set for June, but with things getting worse. We decided to go for it. And we zoomed our family in on the ceremony. All of Jamie’s family is from California, and given the conditions of the world that was not going to happen.”

What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you?
“Vows and photos were always considered two of our top priorities on this day. We each wrote our own vows. However capturing this sweet moment of time through a lens was much tougher given the last minute planning of this day. Some sweet friends gifted us a wedding photographer for the day who did an extraordinary job and we are so grateful to have photos to look back on that show off the fun corkiness of this socially distanced park gathering. Afterwards we were able to capture nothing short of magical portraits with the lovely Anna. We truly got the best of both worlds from this experience.”

Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day?
“Our family was uniquely incorporated through the power of technology on our wedding day. Due to COVID-19 and many many miles between us and our family on that special day we had them all chime in via a Zoom call, and his dad, our officiant, married us over FaceTime.”

What is the most honest thing you can say about love?
“It’s pure. Regardless of the issues or the circumstances, there is something pure that cannot be broken. Wedding days can be stressful maybe even be difficult, but if you are meant to be together and there is a pure sense of love, the doors will open and the day will be perfect.”

What was your favorite part about planning your wedding?
“Since there was such a short time of planning before this day our favorite part was being able to experience the sweet community around us. When we decided two days before that this was what we were going to do I was overwhelmed with planning “must do’s” and others came together and made it happen. From picking flowers and arranging a bouquet from the local flower farm to someone dropping off a steamer for me to borrow so the wrinkles in my dress weren’t photographed. It was truly magical.”

What is the best thing you’ve learned from one another?
“Patience, we still don’t have it, but we have both been working on it together. We teach each other patience is different ways, but it is something we keep working on, especially now that we are married. Marriage of course is an everyday job, and patience is key.”

What is your favorite thing about each other?
“The easiness, by this we mean simply that we are comfortable with each other and have an idea of the others expectations, and that was shown in our wedding day. We knew what each other wanted and we went for it, while it was not what we planned it was perfect for us. The ease we each have allowed those decisions and changes because ultimately we just wanted to be with each other as husband and wife.”