Bennett & Amanda | Barn at Aspen Acres | Black Hills Wedding Photographer
Bennett & Amanda Prosser | Barn at Aspen Acres | Spearfish, SD
July 11, 2020
Where do I even begin with this wedding… my baby brother is married! And to the sweetest girl. I am over-the-moon excited for them, and I wanted to share just a few favorites from their magical day. (Forgive me for writing so much).
I had the great honor to be the photographer, videographer, part-wedding planner, and bridesmaid for this wedding. Our sweet daughter Marina was a flowergirl, and Tom was the best man. It was definitely a family affair, which made it even more special to be a part of. And these two chose some top-notch vendors: the brand new Barn at Aspen Acres of course (Bennett & Amanda were one of the first couples to book! And we got to tour the venue with them before it was even completely finished). Then there’s DJ Marek, who really needs no explanation. He was the DJ for our wedding 8 years ago, and he also did Tom’s sister’s wedding. We’ve seen him in action many times, and he never disappoints. Bennett & Amanda planned their date around his availability as well as mine, which is one of the biggest compliments a vendor can get. Lori Kirk and her team did the catering, and our long-time friend Mary Berg, who has her own floral shop in ND, came down to do all of the florals and arrangements. Daniele Jones with Bake My Day did their adorable little cake and delicious parfaits. John Williamson officiated. Our close family friends the Wilsons & Dornbuschs helped set everything up and made sure everything went as smoothly as possible. And then between me, Tom, my sister Lynsey, DJ Marek, and my AMAZING assistant Sophie, we captured both video and photography for Bennett & Amanda. This day truly was a team effort, but I don’t think it could have been any more perfect.
One of the sweetest parts of the day was seeing my brother, the groom, playing piano before the ceremony (do I get any credit if he was using my keyboard? Ha ;) ) But in all seriousness, this guy is so talented and he’s never been one to brag. I also don’t think he gets enough credit for everything he does – but his musical abilities came in handy later on in the evening on the dance floor. Then there’s the bride: Amanda is one of the most genuine, kindest people you’ll ever meet. She’s always sending Marina adorable outfits and goodies. She’s constantly thinking of others, and I’m so glad my brother found himself someone so special to call his wife. She looked beyond stunning in her gorgeous wedding dress – I’m a sucker for big ballgowns, and she truly looked like a princess. Because of the heat, we snuck these two into town for a few bridal portraits in the shade before coming back to the barn for wedding party photos. And I think Tom enjoyed being the best man a little too much – Marek said he was basically the 6th Backstreet Boy (and if you scan through these photos, you’ll see what I mean). Bennett & Amanda had an amazing wedding party, and we were so honored to be a part of the fun.
Instead of a unity candle, these two planted a tree during their ceremony. So perfect for a Black Hills wedding, and something they can take with them to plant in Michigan. For the ring exchange, Tom, being a bit of a jokester, handed over a flask (filled with non-alcoholic root beer) first instead of the rings. He was kind enough to offer a sip to all of the groomsmen and the other flowergirl Addison during the wedding as well. And in another classic behind-the-scenes photo, you’ll see him “hard at work” as my second-shooter while I’m doing the photographing. Even though I tease him, he did help me out for the bridal portraits, and I tried to give him most of the day off so he could enjoy his role as best man.
Another part of Aspen Acres that we love is their indoor/outdoor space which allows for a pretty fun cocktail hour. After the ceremony and before the dancing started, there were intense cornhole competitions, the roasting of s’mores, socializing with friends & family, and lots of photos taken with Crow Peak in the background. (Have we mentioned lately how much we love this venue??) To kick off the reception, with most of us being solid “Office” fans, no entrance would be complete without a little “Forever” by Chris Brown and a throwing of the programs. Then for the toasts, Tom had to give his speech first. And he’s been to 250+ weddings with me, so that means he’s seen and heard just about everything. Luckily, this guy is a teacher and a coach, and he loves public speaking (not sure where he came from because public speaking TERRIFIES me). But he gave an incredible toast (not biased at all here ;) ) – it was both heartfelt and funny. Then there are the maids of honor – these girls are pretty hilarious. I have to admit, when someone tells me they’re going to “rap” their speech, I get a little nervous. We’ve seen this go poorly in the past, but Miranda & Megan killed it! They gave pretty heartfelt speeches first, and then rapped an original Eminem toast. Brilliant.
After the newlywed shoe game, Bennett & Amanda shared their first dance together as husband & wife. Little did they know, but Marek had a little surprise for them. He had told me what he had planned, but they had no idea. This was the first wedding he got to showcase his unique indoor sparklers – and the looks on Bennett & Amanda’s faces when they started were priceless. It gave me literal goosebumps it was so beautiful. It also helps that their first dance was to Journey. For the mother-son/father-daughter dances, Marek invited other fathers & daughters and mothers & sons to join in on the dance floor, so Tom got an opportunity to dance with Marina, and my dad got to dance with both Lynsey & I. These are the memories I want to bottle up and remember forever – when Marina was born, one of the first things I thought about was how special it would be to see her dancing the daddy/daughter dance at my brother’s wedding. Cue the tears.
Between the white walls of Aspen Acres and the beautiful up-lighting provided by DJ Marek, the dance floor was filled with color all night long, and we took advantage of the colors for a few of Bennett & Amanda’s “light shots” that we’re known for. It also helps to keep the vibe going when your DJ provides all sorts of fun props – the dance floor was PACKED the entire night! My brother actually has some mad guitar skills (definitely a talent that skipped me and went straight to him) so when given the opportunity to rock a blow-up guitar with sparklers in the background? He was all for it. He actually has a history of rocking some air guitar moves at past Prosser weddings, so we all expected nothing less. He may have even gone viral with all the videos that were posted.
Being that this wedding was a little personal for me, I decided to share some bloopers here as well. This day was so special and truly filled with Bennett & Amanda’s closest family & friends… and sorry Amanda, if you haven’t figured this one out already, our family is pretty crazy. We don’t get all of us together very often, but when we do, it’s a blast. In fact – after the dance ended, most of us helped clean up, took flowers and props back to my studio (it was the base station for the wedding décor), and spent most of the evening and early morning hours in the parking lot of my studio and the Holiday Inn reminiscing and chatting. I’m pretty sure the bride & groom finally called it a night about 3am. Ha. What a day. If you’ve made it this far through my long-winded story, enjoy a few (hundred) favorite photos.
Wishing you the best, Bennett & Amanda! Cheers to the new Mr. & Mrs. Prosser. We are so incredibly happy for you <3
