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December 7, 2020

Winter Wedding in the time of Covid

bride and groom have their first dance in front of an outdoor fireplace at a backyard winter wedding

Josh & Lisa’s backyard winter wedding

What’s intimate and maybe a little bit cold but full of love? A winter wedding in a backyard!!

Remember these two from their engagement session with the adorable Josie last year? They tied the knot this weekend for wedding celebrations part 1. They’re still planning on having a big party at The Bradford next year, but didn’t want to wait forever for the marriage part. And so, like so many of us in the time of Covid, they pivoted. <insert Friends gif here>

Lisa’s dad’s backyard in Apex, NC was the perfect venue for part 1 of celebrations. He has a gorgeous outdoor fireplace that gave off the perfect winter wedding vibes, and they even had some of those awesome heaters that you see at restaurant patios. There were bedazzled masks and elbow bumps to go with the cake and champagne (and Duck Donuts!) and to top it all off, Donovan’s Dish knocked it out of the park (as usual) with dinner.

A little peek at this perfect intimate wedding celebration:

detail photograph of wedding rings nestled into a Christmas Tree like ornaments

By the time we arrived, Lisa was finished with everything but putting on her dress, so she just hung around playing Animal Crossing while looking super glam. She had changed her Villager into a wedding dress too. Perfection!

bride plays on her Nintendo Switch while she waits to put her dress on before her intimate wedding bride plays on her Nintendo Switch while she waits to put her dress on before her intimate wedding

Meanwhile, Josh put on his best socks, which just so happen to feature the couple’s dog Josie.

Groom gets ready for wedding ceremony. He's wearing socks with his dog's face on them!

Lisa & Josh wrote each other letters to read before the ceremony, and there were some tears and laughter both upstairs and downstairs.

Exchanging letters before the ceremony is a great way to convey all the things you want to say without having to say them in front of all of your guests Exchanging letters before the ceremony is a great way to convey all the things you want to say without having to say them in front of all of your guests

Josie didn’t get to come to the wedding, but Lisa’s dad & stepmom have two dogs of their own, so they made sure everyone got plenty of puppy snuggle time.

Winter wedding - get ready surrounded by Christmas decorations!

Everyone say hi to past Kivus & Camera bride Claire, who face-timed in for pre-putting on the dress love and encouragement. It majorly sucks to not be able to have all your favorite people at your wedding because of a pandemic, but at least we’ve got stuff like face-time.

Because of Covid, the bride's best friend couldn't come to the wedding, so they facetimed while she got ready You can include your mom and your stepmom on your wedding day - whatever works for your most important relationships is what you should do

A first look with your dad is always a great idea!

Have you thought about doing a first look with your dad? Or writing him a letter? Have you thought about doing a first look with your dad? Or writing him a letter? Brides and grooms sometimes get ready different ways haha!

And then it was time to head out for the ceremony. Look at how happy everyone looks – the emotion at these intimate weddings is turned up to 11.

Winter wedding bouquet is gorgeous as bride walks down the aisle Don't you just love the groom's reaction to seeing the bride? And hers too! Don't you just love the groom's reaction to seeing the bride? And hers too! Don't you just love the groom's reaction to seeing the bride? And hers too! Backyard wedding inspiration Groom style inspiration Winter wedding inspiration - red and white florals, silver jewels

Even though it was a bit chilly, the weather was gorgeous! Just a couple puffy white clouds in an otherwise sunny sky.

Backyard wedding inspiration Bride smiles during wedding ceremony Backyard wedding inspiration Bride and groom celebrate immediately after being declared husband and wife

I say it all the time, but I love these moments right after the ceremony. Even the calmest people get a little bit anxious before the ceremony because it’s the main event and all eyes are on you, but once you’re through it and you’re married to your person, you can’t help but smile your broadest smile.

Bride and groom celebrate immediately after being declared husband and wife Who are you going to hug first after your wedding ceremony? Backyard winter wedding family photos

“What? You said ‘all of Lisa’s family’ and I am definitely part of this family”

when the family dog photo-bombs group photos

After some group portraits, we headed to a nearby park for some golden hour portraits of the newlyweds.

Winter wedding portraits

I love this next one.

dramatic black and white wedding portrait wedding photo pose ideas wedding portraits winter wedding style inspiration winter wedding style inspiration winter wedding style inspiration One of my favorite parts of the wedding day is when it's just the couple after the ceremony and they get to just melt into one another and breathe in the moment

Back at the house, everyone was getting ready for Lisa & Josh’s return and entrance.

backyard wedding inspiration backyard wedding inspiration, winter wedding details

After dinner, there were a couple toasts, and then a few dances. That fireplace made the best backdrop.

outdoor wedding in the dark First dance in the dark at a winter wedding First dance in the dark at a winter wedding Backyard wedding reception Backyard wedding reception

And then cake and donuts because why limit yourself to just one sweet treat?

Backyard wedding reception Wedding donuts

And bubbly, because it is a celebration, no matter how small the guest list.

Get an epic champagne spray shot at your wedding! Get an epic champagne spray shot at your wedding! winter wedding sparkler exit

Sparklers & a goodnight kiss by the fire are the perfect nightcap.

Thanks & congrats y’all!!


We believe that love is bright and colorful, and your wedding photographs should be bright and colorful too.

Kivus & Camera are Raleigh Wedding photographers who create bold, colorful, magical memories of your wedding day with beautiful, artistic portraits AND enthusiastic, genuine moments. Your unique love story deserves to be told through unforgettable, breath-taking photographs that stand out from the crowd. Kivus & Camera love creating that magic. After all, as past bride Courtney says, we’re photography sorcerers.

And though we call ourselves Raleigh wedding photographers, we definitely photograph Durham weddings, Chapel Hill weddings, Cary weddings, etc. We’re all over the Triangle area, and we’re happy to head to the beach or mountains and even to places outside of North Carolina! Just let us know where your love story is headed.

Want to know more? Check out more of our images or learn more about our nerdy selves or just send us a note! Can’t wait to hear from you.

  1. […] for Lisa & Josh’s reception this past weekend. You may remember these two from their intimate, COVID-safe, December wedding in Lisa’s dad’s backyard. Now that vaccines are out in the wild, they were ready to […]