Shannon and Carnez married each other in Fort Collins, CO on July 25th, 2020. This was an incredibly unique and fun wedding.
This was our first wedding of 2020, so creating photos of people wearing masks while wearing masks was still pretty new to us.
Shannon and Carnez down-sized their wedding but refused to let 2020 ruin their celebration.
This wedding was the first for the venue, but this is by no means a new venue. The Rock Garden in Fort Collins, CO is primarily a stone and rock wholesaler for construction, landscape, and architecture companies. They have also built the Stonehenge of Colorado, and a gorgeous surrounding garden that welcomes visitors year-round. This had been a special place for Shannon and Carnez to meet, relax, and enjoy the sunset for years, so it made for a natural setting for their wedding ceremony.
Carnez’s daughter Jaya was flower girl, and also had the special job of calling her dad out from “hiding” to join the ceremony. She got to into it, it was adorable.
One of my favorite parts of Shannon and Carnez’s wedding is that it proves you can create a truly magical day out of a unique wedding location. I bet if you told someone you got married at a landscaping supply company they would never imagine you could get photos as beautiful as these. Shannon and Carnez knew this spot was special to them, they made a plan, and they got married at the perfect spot for them. Plus, this venue cost them $0!
Another reason this wedding kicked ass: swords
Shannon’s mom was such a riot with her sword!
After the ceremony, Shannon, Carnez, Mike, had I got to visit another very special location: Ace Gillett’s Lounge in Fort Collins. This place is a jazz lounge with the feel of a speakeasy, under the Armstrong Hotel. The 4 of us had the whole place to ourselves for over an hour! It was so magical, and we seized the opportunity to create some really unique portraits.
One of these we even won a WPJA Artistic Guild Award for:
Carnez is a veteran of the Navy, so the Fort Collins VFW was happy to host their reception. Shannon and Carnez entered in a tunnel of sparklers, and then joined their guests for drinks, laughs, dessert, and dancing.
Unique Wedding Venue: The Rock Garden
Learn more about Bonnie Photo’s wedding photography on our website.
