Leah + Nick | Hotel Alex Johnson | Black Hills Wedding Photographer

Leah & Nick Goodhope | Hotel Alex Johnson | Rapid City, SD

March 20, 2021

Leah & Nicholas had the most incredible wedding day. Planning a wedding during a pandemic is no easy task, let alone planning a wedding in SD while living in Boston. But everything came together so well, and every detail was absolutely beautiful. These two chose the Hotel Alex Johnson in Rapid City for their wedding ceremony and reception. We’ve shot here a few times before, but it’s been almost 8 years since we’ve had a wedding here! And we were pretty excited to be back. Normally I prefer to be outside for portraits, but with such a beautiful indoor space, we took quite a few wedding party photos and bridal portraits inside. The chandeliers, the classic wallpaper, and the white arched doors really accented my style of photography. 

One of my favorite parts about the Alex Johnson is the sky bar and the incredible views of Rapid City. I had envisioned this photo of Leah & Nick up at the Vertex Sky Bar with the beautiful blue glass for weeks – it was the one image I really wanted to capture on their wedding day. We actually had to sneak these two away right before their dinner to make sure we didn’t miss out on the last few moments of sunlight. There was a private party going on upstairs but thankfully, they let us crash their party to take a few quick photos. It was so worth it! That blue glass and the golden sunlight complete with the wind blowing Leah’s gorgeous dress was a dream to photograph. It was exactly what I envisioned. Blue is one of the main colors in our brand and I try to include it as much as possible. I’m so thankful we got to sneak these two away from their reception to capture “blue glass sunset photos” before they rejoined their guests and danced the night away. And how often do you get to photograph two doctors? These two had custom “prescription” bottles filled with M&M’s as their wedding favors – so very fitting. Another pretty cool connection is: Nick’s mom Diane was one of my absolute favorite teachers in high school, so I was especially honored that I got to be the photographer for her son’s wedding. 

Here are just a few of our favorite images from their wedding day. Congrats Leah & Nick! We wish you both the best. Cheers to the new Dr. & Dr. Goodhope!