An Arcadia, Indiana Garden Wedding at the Groom’s Childhood Home | Mary Katherine + Price
Photographed and written by Heather Corbin, a Lafayette, Indiana, wedding photographer serving couples throughout Central Indiana.
Some couples choose a wedding venue because it is beautiful. Mary Katherine and Price chose the place where their story had already been unfolding for years.
On a beautiful September afternoon, Mary Katherine and Price celebrated their garden wedding at Price’s childhood home near Arcadia, Indiana. Their family members and friends gathered beside the pond, beneath an arch filled with blue and white flowers, as they promised their lives to one another in the same yard where Price grew up.
The setting was breathtaking. A white farmhouse stood among mature trees and flower gardens. A historic barn overlooked the property. A white reception tent glowed beneath rows of string lights as evening settled in.
But the beauty of this day was never simply about the setting.
It was about beginning a marriage in a place already filled with family memories. It was about wedding bands worn by people they deeply loved. It was about three sisters sharing one handmade veil. Most importantly, it was about Mary Katherine and Price beginning their marriage with Christ at the center.
From Grade School Friends to Husband and Wife
Mary Katherine and Price have known one another since grade school, although neither of them can identify the exact moment they first met.
By the time they reached AP World History, Price had developed a habit of finding the empty seat beside Mary Katherine whenever he could. Soon, they also began conveniently “running into each other” while walking to classes on opposite sides of the building.
Mary Katherine eventually asked Price to her junior prom. He said yes, and the next day they skipped the traditional after prom trip to Kings Island and went hiking at Fort Harrison State Park instead.
Eight years later, they are still best friends. They still love being outdoors together, and according to Mary Katherine, they are still equally bad at dancing.
Their relationship continued while they attended different colleges. Price became a civil engineer, and Mary Katherine followed her calling into labor and delivery nursing. Now they are restoring an old farmhouse together, filling it with antiques and preparing it to become their first home as husband and wife.
That love for old things, careful restoration, and family history could be seen throughout their wedding day. Nothing felt chosen merely because it was fashionable. The meaningful details carried stories that began long before that September afternoon.
1967 Ford Galaxie 500
Why They Chose Price’s Childhood Home for Their Wedding
When Mary Katherine was asked how they chose their wedding venue, her answer was perfect:
“Picking the venue was easy. It came with the groom!”
Price grew up on the property with his sister, Emma. Almost exactly one year before Mary Katherine and Price’s wedding, Emma was married there too.
For Mary Katherine and Price, the property was not simply a beautiful place they could borrow for a day. It was already part of their relationship. They had spent years there driving different vehicles around the property, fishing, drinking coffee, and enjoying the ordinary time together that slowly builds a life.
Price’s mother, Jennifer, has spent more than two decades cultivating the flower gardens surrounding the farmhouse. Her care was visible everywhere, from the garden paths and overflowing flower beds to the orchard and the bright blooms surrounding the tent.
Mary Katherine loves baby blue, toile, and the feeling of a garden party. Jennifer and Mak’s home gave those ideas a setting that felt completely natural. The bridesmaids wore soft blue. The bouquets overflowed with orange, peach, lavender, blue, and white flowers. The ceremony took place beside the pond, and the reception continued beneath a white tent surrounded by gardens, ferns, and flowers.
Photo opportunities were abundant, with a fully restored 1953 Ford F100 and a 1967 Ford Galaxie 500 parked in front of the barn. More than beautiful backdrops, the classic vehicles reflected Price’s love of all things vintage and added another personal detail to a wedding day already filled with family history.
It felt elegant without feeling manufactured. It felt like home because it was.
A Vintage Wedding Dress That Was Meant to Be Saved
Mary Katherine’s wedding dress had been waiting for her long before she became engaged.
Two years earlier, while her older sister was having her wedding dress altered, Mary Katherine noticed a gown hanging in the home of a local seamstress named Erlinda. Erlinda had altered the House of Bianchi gown for its original bride in 1995. Years later, when she learned that the dress was going to be discarded, she rescued it, had it cleaned and steamed, and kept it safely hanging in her home.
Erlinda told Mary Katherine to come back and try it on after she became engaged.
And that is exactly what she did.
The gown was simple, structured, and timeless, with a graceful bateau neckline, a fitted waist, and a full skirt. Mary Katherine kept its vintage history as a surprise for Price because she knew he would appreciate the story behind it.
It was not a new dress created to imitate another era. It was a real piece of the past, lovingly saved and given the opportunity to become part of a new marriage.
Vintage House of Bianchi wedding dress
The Handmade Veil Worn by Three Sisters
Mary Katherine’s veil carried another layer of family history.
Her mother, Michelle, handmade the veil and finished its edge with lace from her own wedding dress. Molly wore it when she married. Maria wore it at her June wedding at Rustic Barn at Hopewell. Then Mary Katherine became the third sister to wear it as she walked toward Price.
That veil has now witnessed three daughters become wives.
During the morning, Mary Katherine’s sisters and bridesmaids carefully arranged it around her on the farmhouse porch. Later, it followed her down the long grassy aisle, moved through Jennifer’s gardens, and wrapped around Mary Katherine and Price during their portraits.
Before the ceremony, Mary Katherine revealed her finished look to her bridesmaids and then shared an emotional first look with her father, Matt. Michelle stood nearby as he saw his daughter as a bride. After watching all three daughters marry within a little more than a year, the emotion of that moment needed no explanation.
Years from now, the veil will not matter only because it was beautiful. It will matter because Michelle’s wedding dress became part of all three daughters’ wedding days. It is a physical reminder that their stories are separate, but their family history remains beautifully connected.
Two Wedding Bands and Four Beloved Lives
The rings Mary Katherine and Price exchanged also represented marriages that came before their own.
Mary Katherine had dreamed of wearing her great grandmother Gramma Fox’s wedding band from the first time she saw it in her mother’s jewelry box. Gramma Fox was someone Mary Katherine deeply admired during the first fifteen years of her life and continues to admire today.
Price wears the wedding band that belonged to his grandfather, Pa, one of their favorite people.
Together, those two bands connect Mary Katherine and Price to two marriages and four dearly loved people. Gramma Fox, Pa, and the faithful marriages that came before them gave Mary Katherine and Price examples of enduring love and a legacy of strong marriages.
When they placed the rings on one another’s hands, they were not simply wearing something old. They were carrying those examples of love forward as they began a marriage of their own.
A First Look Without a First Kiss
Mary Katherine and Price chose to have a first look before their ceremony. It gave them time together, allowed us to create portraits throughout the property, and made it possible to complete their wedding party and family photographs before guests arrived.
But they made one important decision: they would not kiss until they were married.
So we created “almost kisses” instead.
The result was one of the most playful parts of the day. Every time they moved close, Price had to resist the urge to close the final inch between them. Mary Katherine laughed. Price laughed. Their expressions revealed both the anticipation and the friendship underneath it.
Their first look did not take anything away from the ceremony. Instead, it gave them a quiet beginning to the day while allowing their first kiss to remain exactly where they wanted it, after their vows.
We photographed them with Price’s 1979 Ford, the truck he bought when he was fifteen and restored before he had his driver’s license. We returned to the childhood swing connected to the treehouse where Price and Emma once played. We used the ivy covered well house, the farmhouse porch, the gardens, the historic barn, and several vintage vehicles found around the property.
These were not interchangeable backgrounds. Each one belonged to their story.
A Christ Centered Ceremony Beside the Pond
Guests gathered on the lawn beside the pond for the outdoor ceremony. A floral arch filled with soft blue and white flowers framed Mary Katherine and Price as Stephen officiated.
Their Christian faith was not included as a decorative theme or a few carefully chosen words. Mary Katherine and Price wanted the Gospel to be present throughout their wedding and hoped their guests would see people serving, working, and loving others for the glory of God.
When Mary Katherine reached Price beneath the arch, the long awaited moment finally came. After their vows and the exchange of their family wedding bands, they shared their first kiss.
The laughter of their earlier “almost kisses” gave way to the joy of finally being husband and wife.
As they released the rows after the ceremony, Mary Katherine and Price personally greeted their guests. This was not the quickest way to move everyone toward cocktail hour. But efficiency was not their highest priority. They wanted a moment of connection with each person who had come to celebrate with them.
That choice said something important about who they are. People mattered more than rushing ahead to the next scheduled event.
Their First Sacred Moment as Husband and Wife
After greeting their guests, Mary Katherine and Price stepped away with Stephen for private Communion on the farmhouse porch.
They intentionally kept this moment private because they wanted it to remain holy, sacred, and never performative.
Before their reception entrance, before dinner, and before the celebration beneath the tent, they shared the bread and the cup together. Their first quiet act as husband and wife was remembering the sacrifice of Christ and acknowledging the foundation beneath the marriage they had just begun.
It was not a moment created for an audience. It was worship.
I photographed it quietly because sacred moments deserve to be preserved without being interrupted. Mary Katherine and Price may not remember every word spoken on that porch, but I hope the photographs will always take them back to the truth they chose to place first.
A Garden Party Reception Beneath the String Lights
The reception continued beneath a large white tent strung with warm lights. Colorful garden arrangements filled the tables, and the historic barn, white farmhouse, pond, and gardens surrounded the celebration.
Mary Katherine and Price entered the tent and moved directly into their first dance. Matt welcomed the guests, prayed over the meal, and spoke about the couple. It was the third time in a little more than one year that Matt and Michelle had watched one of their daughters marry, and the closeness of the Mitchell family could be felt throughout the speeches and dances.
Molly and Maria honored their sister and welcomed Price. Later, during the father and daughter dance, all three sisters joined their dad on the dance floor. It was a simple moment, but one that will likely become more valuable with every passing year.
The evening also had plenty of humor. Price has always loved The Dukes of Hazzard, so his father created a life sized photo display complete with cutouts for guests’ faces. He even connected the familiar horn sound to a car battery so guests could play it during the reception.
There were vintage cars, a pale blue truck, an old Ford pickup, a garden shed transformed into a bar, and music that matched Mary Katherine and Price’s love for earlier decades. The personal details kept the reception from feeling overly polished. It was beautiful, but it was also unmistakably theirs.
Jacquie’s Gourmet Catering served one of the best wedding meals Mayah and I have ever enjoyed. After dinner and speeches, the dance floor quickly filled with friends and family beneath the string lights.
Sunset Portraits and a Harvest Moon
As the sun lowered, Mary Katherine and Price stepped away from the reception for a few final portraits.
They walked through the flower garden, danced in the field, and stood together in the warm light at the edge of the property. After spending the day surrounded by family and friends, those portraits gave them a few minutes to slow down and simply be together.
Then, as the last light faded, a nearly full harvest moon appeared between two trees above the pond.
The day had begun on the farmhouse porch surrounded by family. It ended beneath string lights, beside the barn and gardens, with the moon rising over the place where so much of Price’s life had already happened.
What Will Matter Most in Twenty Five Years
Mary Katherine and Price love old things, but not simply because they are old.
They appreciate things that have been cared for, restored, and carried forward. A truck bought at fifteen. A wedding dress rescued instead of discarded. A veil handmade from a mother’s gown. Wedding bands worn by beloved family members. A farmhouse being rebuilt for the life they are creating together.
Their wedding day followed that same pattern.
They did not need to manufacture meaning because they chose a place, people, and details already filled with it.
Twenty five years from now, I believe the photographs that matter most will not only be the sweeping portraits beneath the veil or the golden sunset in the field. They will also be the photographs of Michelle fastening the same veil she made for three daughters. Mak and Jennifer standing beside the son they raised on this land. Matt seeing Mary Katherine as a bride. The two heirloom rings resting on their hands. Communion shared privately on the porch. Three sisters dancing with their father.
Those photographs preserve more than what the wedding looked like.
They preserve what it meant.
Mary Katherine and Price, thank you for trusting Mayah and me to photograph this beautiful beginning. Your wedding was filled with joy, faith, family, history, and the kind of beauty that cannot be manufactured. It was an honor to witness it and to preserve these memories for the life you are building together. May God bless you all the days of your lives together as husband and wife!
What Is It Like to Work With Me at a Private Property Wedding?
Private property weddings offer extraordinary meaning and flexibility, but they also require careful planning. There may not be a venue manager directing portraits, controlling access, or identifying the best light throughout the day.
Because I photographed Mary Katherine and Price’s engagement session on the property, I already understood the locations that mattered to them. We planned their first look, wedding party photographs, and family portraits before the ceremony so they could spend more of the evening with their guests. Family helpers from both sides kept each portrait group organized, and because everyone knew the plan, we finished ahead of schedule.
My goal is not to take over a wedding day. It is to understand what matters, anticipate what could create stress, and quietly guide the photography so my couples can remain present.
You should not spend your wedding day wondering where to stand, what happens next, or whether the photographs that matter most are being missed.
If you are planning a wedding where faith, family, and meaningful traditions matter, I would be honored to help you preserve more than how the day looked. I want your photographs to take you back to what mattered. Explore faith filled wedding photography with Heather Corbin Photography.
Frequently Asked Questions About Weddings at a Family Home
Is a family home a good place to hold a wedding?
Yes. A family home can become an incredibly meaningful wedding setting because it already holds memories and will remain part of the couple’s life after the wedding. However, home weddings require careful planning for parking, power, restrooms, catering, tents, weather, guest flow, and cleanup.
Can a private property wedding still feel elegant?
Absolutely. Mary Katherine and Price’s wedding combined a floral ceremony beside the pond, a white reception tent, abundant garden flowers, vintage vehicles, and warm string lights. The elegance came from thoughtful choices that complemented the property rather than attempting to transform it into something it was not.
Can we have a first look and still save our first kiss for the ceremony?
Yes. A first look does not require a couple to kiss. Mary Katherine and Price spent time together and completed most of their portraits before the ceremony while intentionally saving their first kiss for after their vows. If you are considering this choice, read five reasons to have a first look on your wedding day.
How can Christian couples keep their wedding ceremony centered on Christ?
Begin by deciding what worship, covenant, prayer, Scripture, Communion, and service genuinely mean to you. Mary Katherine and Price did not treat faith as a wedding theme. They allowed it to shape their priorities, their ceremony, the people they chose to serve alongside them, and their first private act as husband and wife. For more ideas, read how to plan a Christ centered wedding ceremony.
Should we take wedding portraits around a family property?
Yes, especially when certain places carry personal meaning. The childhood swing, restored truck, farmhouse porch, well house, gardens, barn, and pond all helped tell Mary Katherine and Price’s story. Meaningful locations create photographs that become more valuable with time.
How should we plan photography for a wedding at a family home?
Begin by identifying the places on the property that carry the most meaning, then build the photography timeline around the best available light. Plan locations for the first look, wedding party, family portraits, ceremony, sunset portraits, and a weather backup before the wedding day. A property visit or engagement session at the home can help the photographer understand both the light and the locations that belong to the couple’s story.
Mary Katherine and Price’s Wedding Vendors
Photography: Heather Corbin Photography
Wedding coordination: Taylor, Warm Hearts Coordinating
Officiant: Stephen Schultze
Florals: Nyla (Family Friend)
Hair and makeup: Erika (Family Friend)
Catering: Jacquie’s Gourmet Catering
Tent rental: All Occasion Tent Rental
Wedding dress: Vintage House of Bianchi, 1995
Dress preservation and alterations: Erlinda
Ceremony and reception: Private family property near Arcadia, Indiana
About Heather
Heather Corbin is a Lafayette, Indiana, wedding photographer serving Christian and Catholic couples throughout Central Indiana. With more than 125 weddings photographed, she brings calm guidance, true to life photography, and a deep respect for the sacred meaning of marriage.
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Planning a wedding rooted in faith, family, and the beginning of your marriage? Learn more about faith filled wedding photography with Heather Corbin Photography.
September Wedding Day
