Kaitlyn & Reegon’s Black-Tie Western Wedding in Kearney, Nebraska

Kaitlyn and Reegon brought both sets of parents to their engagement session, which, honestly, was a first for me. It turned out to be the perfect way to get to know everyone.

We met at their family ranch outside Gothenburg, Nebraska, in the spring. After all the good hugs, laughs and love, we all went to dinner at the local dive bar afterward. There is a theme with my couples and I couldn’t be happier, lol. I got to learn more about the two of them and the families around them at that bar. It meant that, by the time the wedding came around, I’d already spent an evening with some of the people who would be such a big part of it.

Their families had a huge head start on knowing each other. Their parents all went to high school together, and both sets were high-school sweethearts. Kaitlyn and Reegon didn’t know each other growing up, though. When he eventually slid into her DM’s with, “hey! I think our parents went to school together!” she had a boyfriend and wasn’t especially impressed. Well…

Two years later, in early 2025, she was single and remembered this cute guy who messaged her once. She reached back out, checked whether he was still single, and asked him on a date.

Kaitlyn told me she loved all things vintage Western, pink, and over the top (a girl after my own heart!) She also mentioned a party bus, so, yeah, I was sold. In my experience, Nebraska weddings tend to be BIG, with a party bus involved and somebody (everybody) keeping an eye on the Huskers score. This one had a guest list of 600. So, yeah, totally a Nebraska wedding.

The Crowne Plaza in Kearney gave them the space they needed for that many people. Their ceremony location had a different kind of significance, though: the Methodist church was where Kaitlyn’s parents had married. There’s a photo of her in the old chapel where they said their vows. After getting to know her parents at the engagement session, I understood why having that piece of their family history in the photographs was important, too.

Kaitlyn and I talked a lot before the wedding. There were plenty of logistics to work through, with a large wedding party and an Airbnb, church, park, and reception to account for. Our Zoom call covered the timeline and final details, but we also spent time talking about something I was particularly excited about: her bridal portraits.

The Airbnb she’d booked for getting ready had a library with a ladder, an antique armoire, and lots of open space and natural light. We wanted to take advantage of it. Kaitlyn and I collaborated on a Canva mood board, talking through some fun, very glam, almost boudoir-inspired photographs.

Then we made sure the timeline had tons of room for them. Those portraits take time, and we carved out extra time during getting ready so we could be creative. Knowing what Kaitlyn wanted beforehand meant we could plan for it instead of trying to squeeze her ideas into whatever time happened to be left.

For her bridal portraits, we leaned into that editorial direction, borderline boudoir. With the wedding party as a whole, my approach was more candid and documentary. Kaitlyn’s ideas shaped where I would spend time directing, while getting to know their families gave me more familiarity with the people around her.

With a wedding this big, I was glad we’d had those smaller chances to connect. I’d gotten to know Kaitlyn’s ideas and spent time with her family before picking up my camera on the big day.

Kaitlyn later wrote a killer review, saying, “She went above and beyond from start to finish and made us feel so comfortable throughout our entire wedding day.” She said their photographs turned out better than she’d imagined, and that “Looking through our gallery felt like reliving the best day of our lives all over again.”

Well, Kaitlyn, I gotta give it up to you, too. Your vision was one-of-a-kind. Glad I was there to let you be with your people.