Timber Creek Wedding | Molly + Chris

A wedding at Timber Creek Event Center in St. Joseph, Missouri

Molly and Chris’ wedding at Timber Creek Event Center in St. Joseph, Missouri was totally unique and absolutely stunning. From Chris’ dark suit and the black bridesmaids’ dresses to the moody florals and rustic accents around the reception space, it was clear they had a vision - and it totally worked!

Timber Creek Event Center was an absolute joy to photograph and work with. The team was friendly and accommodating, and the place is just stunningly gorgeous. I love the ceremony space, especially at night (check those last few night photos), and the large reception area with tall, beamed ceilings made for an awesome place to party! In spring, with that late afternoon light flowing through the leafless trees, this venue offered so many amazing opportunities to get creative with the couple.

Needless to say, the llamas were a highlight of the day, if only for the sole reason that they were wearing their own fancy wedding attire. THE BEST part of the day was just looking around, seeing how obsessed Molly and Chris are with each other, and feeling how much everyone at the wedding cared so deeply for them.

I knew from their engagement session that they were fun, creative, laid-back, and down for pretty much anything - my type of people! Get your scrolling fingers out and check out some of my favorites from this awesome day!

Photo/Video: Bryson B Photo

Cake: Three Wishes Bakery

Florals: Landers Flowers

Hair: Whisper Lynn

Makeup: Mafia Makeup by Sarah

Catering: Day N’ Paradise

Cake Pops: Cake Poppin with Brittany

Looking for bland wedding photos? Didn’t think so.

Main Street Abbey Wedding | Columbia, IL | Courtney + Nick

So, here’s the deal. Courtney and Nick are simply lovely humans, and their wedding at Main Street Abbey in Columbia, IL was exactly that - lovely.

Courtney and Nick are so. Friggin’. Cool. They have cool friends. Their families are cool. Their dog, Boone? Radical. Literally, there was an entire section of their wedding timeline titled “Boone Being Radical.”

Nick reached out to me, what feels like, eons ago to capture his proposal to Courtney. I hiked up a huge (for Columbia) mountain (hill) with way too many cameras to grab the big moment. After setting up and settling down, I see a Nervous Nicholas and a (mostly) Clueless Courtney round the corner of the trail. Still neck deep in the ruse, Nick comments to Courtney on the weather, and gestures to me, the nameless photographer, saying, “It’s nice up here! Looks like he’s taking photos for an art project.”

It was a project, but not for my art class. I was a Music Business major, after all.

A question was popped, nervous giggles were… guggled? A resounding “Yes!” was heard.

From that moment forward, I had this nagging hope that I’d get the opportunity to capture Courtney and Nick’s wedding. I’m so happy that we ended up here!

Main Street Abbey provided the perfect venue for an all-in-one wedding, with ample (and beautiful) space for getting ready, the ceremony, the reception, cocktail hour, and everything in between. I’m a particularly big fan of the huge cathedral-style ceilings! I’d happily recommend this venue to anyone in the area looking for a full-featured, spacious, and gorgeous place to have the perfect wedding day.

Courtney and Nick - thank you SO much for trusting your memories to my eyes. Check out some of my faves below!

Dress: Bridal Manor
Cake: Twice as Sweet
Florals: Farmhaus
DJ: DJ Connection
Hair: Lauren Herbeck
Makeup: Art of Beauty
Food: Salt + Smoke
Painting: Karen Raidy
Venue: Main Street Abbey

Hey! You scrolled this far… If you need stunning photos, let’s chat!

The Standard On State | Rockford, IL Wedding

If I was legally forced to capture every single wedding at The Standard on State in Rockford, Illinois, I wouldn’t shed a single tear. This wedding checked every moody, modern, joy-filled, vibrant box in my little photographer heart. I’m so happy to have been there with my camera, taking way too many photos.

This wedding came after a small break in the seemingly nonstop wedding season of 2022. I had just had a couple of weeks off and, as any photographer knows, even the tiniest break can make it feel like you’ve never shot a wedding in your life! McKenna and Grant were such a welcome introduction to the fall wedding season. It truly felt like we’ve known each other for a much longer time than we actually have, and their wedding was an effortless whirlwind of love. Hm. Effortless Whirlwind of Love…. Dibs on that band name.

The Standard is a venue that has every little part of your day covered! They have basically the entire building, from basement to rooftop, so there’s plenty of room for everything from the getting ready to the reception - and McKenna and Grant used it all! McKenna spent so much time nailing down the physical details (signs, favors, invites), and the team at The Standard was able to bring it all together in gorgeous fashion!

I’ll let the photos tell the rest of the story, but every part of this day was striking. The beautiful, warmly lit rooms for getting ready… The open, spacious rooftop ceremony (and dancing) floor… The exposed brick dinner and reception room. All surrounded by the historic city of Rockford, Illinois!

Check out the photos and the awesome vendor team that made this day happen!
Dress: Bucci's Bridal
Florals: London Avenue Designs
DJ: Luxe Productions
Makeup: Alpenglow Artistry
Catering: Lino’s
Videography: Oakhouse
Venue: The Standard

---

You look like you might be in need of some photos!

Missouri History Museum Wedding | Margarett + Jeff

This wedding at the St. Louis Missouri History Museum was such a treat to capture. It had it all: rain, an amazing venue, and a lovely couple. What more could a photographer ask for?

Margarett and Jeff are some really special people, as is their entire cute little family! We immediately connected on their initial call, and the rest just fell into place. Not only did I have the pleasure of capturing their wedding, but their engagement session AND a family session for their entire squad!

For the getting ready portion of the day, we started at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel. After they were done getting ready, we headed down to a beautiful spiral staircase in the lobby of the hotel for their first look (while also dodging another couple that was proposing at the same spot). Right after that, the rain came pouring down, so we scrapped the outside pictures and went to the Missouri History Museum for some family photos and portraits of the couple.

Then, after we made one of my absolute fave images ever (I dare you to guess which one), it was time for the ceremony. The inside of this St. Louis museum really made for a totally perfect ceremony space, with towering glass windows, classic city memorabilia, and a totally killer balcony. Some vows, a kiss, and some cheering - all leading to the reception.

Here’s a bit of what the couple had to say about working with me:

“If you’re on the fence about hiring Bryson, you’re thinking too much. Just hire him! Professional and talented and just pure fun. He was part of the magic behind or most special day! Thank you, Bryson!”

— Margarett and Jeff

It was truly an awesome day, and I couldn’t ask for a better couple and vendor team. Check it out!
Dress: Elegant Brides, Edwardsville, IL
Catering: Russo’s Catering
Venue: Missouri History Museum, Forest Park, St. Louis

---

---

Need photos of your own? I bet we can help!

Destihl Barrel Room Wedding - Macy + Mike

I shoot a lot in and around Bloomington and Normal, Illinois, and Destihl Brewery’s Barrel Room has got to be one of the best wedding venues to photograph in the area! Before we talk details, let’s chat about Macy and Mike, first.

When these two first reached out to me, I was stoked! Based in Hawaii, they were hosting their wedding celebration in Normal, Illinois so that more of their family and friends could attend. Macy and Mike are totally rad: two dog-owning, outdoors-loving, passionate people. We clicked immediately!

Macy started the day off getting ready with her bridesmaids in a super awesome Air BnB with these gorgeous windows which, of course, I was really happy with. All the bridesmaids got their makeup done by LB Beauty and she absolutely killed it! Everyone was looking fantastic. After shedding a few happy tears, writing a few happy vows, and slipping into her dress, Macy and I headed over to Ewing Cultural Center for the first look(s) and some portraits! Quick tip: If you must have some traveling and multiple locations on your wedding day, definitely do it like Macy did if at all possible. Every location was less than 5 minutes apart and was a breeze to access, which made it easy to not eat into the actual timing of events that day.

After some more tears and laughs, we scooted on over to the Barrel Room for the ceremony and reception! The team at the venue did such a fantastic job in keeping things running smoothly and switching the ceremony space into a rockin’ reception space. The warm lighting, huge windows, and ample “barrel” aesthetics makes Destihl’s Barrel Room a no-brainer for couples who fit that vibe!

The ceremony and reception went by without a hitch, and I was even able to steal the couple away for a quick couple of night portraits which always turn out fun! Check out some of my faves from this awesome wedding below!

Venue: Destihl Brewery - The Barrel Room

Dress: Masako Formals

Makeup: LB Beauty

Want a bland, run-of-the-mill wedding photographer? Didn’t think so!

Lafayette Park St. Louis Micro Wedding

Need some photos of your own? Let’s be friends!

Kentucky Lake Backyard Wedding | Maddie + Bill

Getting married? Need some photos? We can help!

Edwardsville, Illinois Wedding | Paige + Tim

Need awesome wedding photos?

A Wedding at the Hangar | Brianne and Loren

Brianne and Loren got married at The Hangar Wedding + Event Venue in Greenville, Illinois. Though it’s nestled in the middle of the rural country just outside of Greenville, The Hangar is a venue that packs a massive amount of style and function! In fact, my wife and I were going to get married here, but the 2020 lockdowns had other plans for us. Since we’d originally spoken with the owners, they have poured SO much blood, sweat, and tears into this venue to improve it, and it shows! I’m stoked that I’ll be shooting at the Hangar for a few more upcoming weddings next year!

Brianne and Loren are the heroes of today’s story, and they deserve every bit of that title (though they’d never admit it). They are some of the kindest, most laid-back people that I’ve ever had a chance to photograph. Let’s be honest, their wedding was at the end of August. It was HOT. Even still, they showed up and celebrated with massive smiles throughout the day, and you could just tell they were joyfully soaking in all the love they received from their guests. After their engagement session earlier this year, I knew this wedding was going to be a good one. Spoiler alert… It was. Do your finger stretches, cuz this one’s jam-packed with images!

Venue: The Hangar

Hair+Makeup: Joseph Mathew Salon

Catering: Fire and Smoke

Cake and Treats: The Sugar Shop

Florals: The Brick House

DJ: 5Twenty-nine Entertainment

---

Need wedding photos? We can help.

Silver Oaks Chateau Wedding | Akia and Darren

It was a true joy to be back shooting a wedding at the lovely Silver Oaks Chateau, with the dream team - Akia and Darren. From start to finish, this day was full of so many amazing little moments! For this wedding my team and I were covering both photo and video, and we were never at a loss for beautiful things to capture!

Some of my favorites:

• That dress! 😍 (and her hair accessories, of course)

• Their first “touch” - High risk, HUGE reward!

• Tears at the ceremony

• Giggles during the first dance

• A freakin’ great party

• and, of course, they smashed their creative portrait session(s), even though the rain tried to say something about it.

After their sub-zero (literally) February engagement session, I know Akia and Darren were going to be such a cool couple to photograph on their wedding day. The team of vendors (down below) was a joy to work with, too! I could shoot one of these every day and not get tired of them.

Vendors:

Venue - Silver Oaks Chateau

Catering - Ces and Judy’s

Dress - Clarice’s Bridal

Reception Dress - Lulu’s

Makeup - Beauty by Reecey

Hair - Yaestylez

DJ - Andrew Jones

---

Bold, vibrant, and non-traditional wedding visuals for laid-back couples that reject the mundane. Does that sound like you?

Kankakee Valley Boat Club Wedding | Miranda + Kyle

This beautiful, joy-filled wedding day took place up in Kankakee, Illinois at the Kankakee Valley Boat Club. The entire wedding day was centered around the gorgeous Kankakee River. The homes of friends and family where they got ready were set just on the river, and the venue for the ceremony and reception offered a wonderful view as well. Miranda and Kyle were so much fun to hang out with and photograph! This wedding was also a morning event, and it’s the best kind of weird to leave for a wedding at 5AM and to get home before dinner. More morning weddings, please!

Check out some of my faves below!

---

In need of wedding photos? I may just be the photographer for you!

An Intimate and Rainy Wedding at Allerton Park | Emily + Moses

I will never be sad if there is rain on a wedding day, especially at such a gorgeous place as Allerton Park and Retreat Center in Monticello, Illinois. Emily and Moses’ ceremony was at the Fu Dog Garden portion of the park, and the rain made the colors and textures of the beautiful space just POP. For the reception, we hopped on over to Decatur with a send-off at their family’s home. All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better couple to have in front of my camera! Maybe next wedding, I’ll bring a couple of changes of socks….

---

Need photos of your wedding? Let me know!

A Summer Wedding at The Cannery | Elizabeth + Nathan

There isn’t much better than an early summer wedding at The Cannery in Eureka, Illinois. This wedding was supposed to be a rainy one, but after getting pelted with heavy rainfall on my drive up there, we were blessed with a dry wedding day at a gorgeous venue with some stunning folks! Congrats to Liz and Nathan and a huge thank you to The Cannery! I couldn’t be more honored to have been given this opportunity to be a small part of this day.

Angie + Chuck - Wedding Photography in Pocahontas, Illinois

I had so much fun shooting this wedding in Pocahontas, Illinois! This venue is a gorgeous, private venue with all the features and special details you could want! I’ll do a full write-up of it soon, but for now, let’s chat about Angie and Chuck!

This story began as so many classic tales do… On Facebook marketplace with a slab of walnut lumber. I was looking to build a coffee table for my living room and stumbled upon this guy, CS Log Rescue, selling beautiful lumber not too far from where I live. So, I messaged him and went out to his shop to pick a new piece for my future table! As we were chatting, it came up that I was a photographer, and Chuck asks, “You do any weddings?”

Long story short, two months later was their wedding date, and we made it happen! Angie and Chuck are so sweet, full of joy, and were a pleasure to work with and have in front of my camera. I could not have dreamed of a better group of folks with which to spend my day photographing a wedding! See below for some of my favorites from that day at Loveland Estates!

Need your own wedding photos taken? Happy to help!

Josie + Cole - Highland, Illinois Wedding Photography

Make sure to do your finger stretches, because this one’s a scroller! A huge congrats to Josie and Cole, your wedding day was beautiful!
After their engagement session back in July, there was no way I couldn’t be stoked for this wedding. They are such a fun couple, and they’re family to a few of my past couples as well, so the wedding was chock full of familiar faces.
We started the day off by getting ready at The Sanctuary on Main in Troy, Illinois, which is also where the ceremony was held. The Sanctuary is a sweet ceremony venue, perfect for small to mid-sized weddings where aesthetic and comfort are key. Downstairs offers a secluded area in which to get ready, with ample seating and beautiful, natural light. The chapel upstairs boasts wonderfully tall ceilings, stained glass, and plenty of room for your guests.
After they did the whole “getting married” thing, we headed over to Highland Silver Lake Park for photos, and The Lindendale Park Ballroom for the reception (after saying hi to Grandma, of course). Legitimately, I can’t recall if I’ve ever laughed harder at the speeches than I did at the ones given at this reception. The room was full of so much love, laughter, and joy throughout the night, and it shows. Thanks so much for the honor of being a small part of your wedding day, Cole and Josie!

Also, while you’re at it, go ahead and check out and support them at their dance studio, Dance Network!

Scroll on down to see some of my favorites from the day.

Dress: White Traditions

Videography: Double Take Media

If you need wedding photos, I’m here for ya!

Megan + Matt - St. Peters, Missouri Wedding Photography

Wedding Photography at 370 Lakeside Park

As summer’s last hurrah, it gave us Megan and Matt’s gorgeous October wedding with warm sunshine, clear skies, and juuuust the right amount of heat! Megan and Matt are some of the nicest folks around. They were totally down for anything, smiled through every moment of the day, and were just so much fun to hang out with and take photos of! I couldn’t ask for a better duo to have in front of my lens.

We started the day getting ready in separate hotel rooms, Megan at the Ameristar Hotel, and Matt at Tru by Hilton. After that, we hopped on over to 370 Lakeside Park for the rest of the festivities. Their ceremony and reception setups were so gorgeous! Beautiful, simple floral arrangements lined the aisle and dotted each table, which perfectly complemented the wood tones of the massive pavilion where everything took place.

One of the best parts of the day was realizing that the venerable DJ Thurman was covering the reception. He’s awesome. He was the DJ at a wedding I shot back in July of this year, and I cannot say enough great things about how he runs the party!

As always, I love when couples ask me to do some night portraits, and we did just that to close out the night. All in all, I had so much fun documenting this wedding and I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I do! Congrats, Megan and Matt!

---

Kyle + Brooke - Hidden Lake Winery Wedding Photography in Aviston, Illinois

I can’t say enough good things about Kyle, Brooke, and their wedding at Hidden Lake Winery in Aviston, Illinois! Throughout this entire year, at every step of the planning process, they’ve been totally stoked and excited about their wedding. Being a WAC (Wedding in the Age of COVID [I just made that up]), paired with the occasional rain showers on the day of, a less-chill couple would have had a difficult time matching Kyle and Brooke’s energy and smile-content. Needless to say, this one was one for the books (or a blog, in this case).
Hidden Lake Winery really is the perfect solution for a compact, single-location wedding day. The wedding party got ready in the cabins, which offered a private and quiet place that still kept the bride and groom out of sight of each other. The ceremony and reception were held at the Majestic Falls section of the venue, characterized by a tranquil pond, awesome water features, and massive trees lending depth and scale to the ceremony.
This wedding featured:

• Custom sunglasses for each member of the party (totally rad)

• SAND! (you had to be there)

• A plant tube (official scientific name)

Scroll down to see some of my favorites from the wedding day! Congrats Kyle and Brooke!

{Nerd stuff for photographers}: This was my first wedding shooting DUAL Nikon Z5s, the latest (at the time of writing) mirrorless offering from Nikon. These little guys are fast, agile, have GREAT battery life, and really fantastic sensor performance. In almost every way, I believe they’re a welcome upgrade over my previous D750 cameras. The in-body stabilization (IBIS), the electronic viewfinder, and the live-view autofocus are those simple, next-generation features that mirrorless shooters have been enjoying for years now. And since the cameras are mirrorless I can now scoff at DSLR shooters for no other reason, so I have that going for me…

---

---

Need your own wedding covered! I can help with that!

Stone House of St. Charles Wedding Photography | Alysa + Kyle

Wedding Photography at Stone House of St. Charles

---

It feels like just yesterday that Alysa contacted me to shoot her wedding! Well, it wasn’t yesterday, but it WAS just two months ago. Dang, 2020 is weird, right? I’m gonna let you in on a little wedding photographer’s secret. There are lots of ways to attract super cool couples and convince them to shoot your wedding day. Some photographers attend wedding shows. Some photographers beg and plead while crying. I’ve done both. However, for this specific couple, I used good ol’ nepotism because Alysa is my cousin! So, of course, when Alysa and Kyle reached out to me, I was absolutely ecstatic.

This one was a fun one, and I think it’s super apparent in the sum total amount of smiles that permeated every part of the day. Also, their babies are beyond beautiful. Also, nobody dances like my family. I’ll write a full review of wedding photography at Stone House of St. Charles in the next few weeks but, as far as my initial thoughts, it’s a gorgeous venue with fantastic potential no matter the weather! It’s important that a venue be able to “work” at any point in the itinerary, during any season, and at any time during the day. During the getting ready time, you’re met with huge, soft window light and simply decorated rooms so as to not distract from the humans in the photos. The courtyard is spacious enough for family photos and totally well-lit, and the reception hall is more than equipped for anything you can throw at it.

Cassidy Eckman killed it on makeup!
Sisters Flowers knocked it out of the park on the florals!

Scroll to see some of my faves from their day…. If you dare.

---

See more venues like Stone House on our full St. Louis wedding venue page!

Meg + Mark - Greenville, Illinois Wedding Photography

I had the honor of photographing Meg and Mark’s beautiful southern Illinois wedding. The whole event, from ceremony to reception, all took place on their gorgeous property in Greenville, Illinois, which made it extra special!

Some highlights of this wedding include:

• Old friends that made for some hilarious moments

• Massive smiles

• A jaw-dropping watermelon cake made with actual watermelon

• A sparkler send-off where the sparklers were so big we decided to do it twice

• A little bit of good-old-fashioned light painting

Obviously, I’m a big fan of this day and these folks. Check out some of my favorite moments below!

---

Kristen + Andrew - St. Louis, Missouri Wedding Photography

I’m so excited to share some of my favorites from Kristen and Andrew’s St. Louis, Missouri wedding day! From their engagement session back in February, I knew they were going to be such fun to photograph on their wedding day (it helps that they were already dear friends of mine). The ceremony was at this really gorgeous private property, and the beautiful reception took place at Andre’s West. They surrounded themselves with such good friends and family throughout the day, and it shows.
This wedding had it all:

• A cool tub

• Ted Drewes (cuz we’re in St. Louis)

• Quick Trip (in case you doubted that we were in St. Louis)

• Radical dance moves

See below for photo proof that this unfathomably awesome day happened!

---

---

Hey, you! Yeah, you. You look like you need some photos taken… Let’s chat!