Mr. & Mrs. Richard Cullen: A Wedding at Avalon Manor Banquet Center in Merrillville, Indiana
Richard (Rex) and Jessica are officially Mr. and Mrs. Cullen! And, I’m so excited to share photos from their wedding at Avalon Manor Banquet Center in Merrillville, Indiana on the blog!
Two years ago, I was secretly hoping Jessica & Rex would contact me about being their wedding photographer.
In October 2017, I had the privilege of photographing Jessica’s sister Sarah’s wedding.
Now, one of my favorite parts of being a wedding photographer is getting to spend time with brides and their bridesmaids. For me, a wedding day is basically like a girls’ day with camera in hand. What’s better than that?! And, this is exactly how I met Jessica.
Jessica was the maid of honor in her sister’s wedding. She did a wonderful job of helping Sarah and Declan (Sarah’s husband) throughout their wedding day, and I was glad to have met Jessica, Sarah, and the rest of the Dienes family.
During Sarah and Declan’s reception, I noticed Jessica tearing it up on the dance floor with Rex, her boyfriend. They’d only been dating for a few months, but they were clearly having a great time and loved being together.
I thought to myself, “Wow! Those two are adorable! If they get engaged, I really hope they’ll contact me. They’re so much fun!”
Lucky for me, Rex popped the question, and Jessica reached out to me about wedding photos! Rex and Jessica, thank you for trusting me to be your wedding photographer. It was an honor!
Rex & Jessica became husband and wife on Friday, May 17, 2019.
Friday weddings are becoming more popular, and Rex and Jessica took full advantage of this. Mr. and Mrs. Cullen celebrated their wedding at Avalon Manor Banquet Center on Friday, May 17, 2019.
Family and friends traveled from near and far to witness Rex and Jessica’s outdoor ceremony, which was conducted by Jessica’s boss, Krsta. Krista became ordained specifically for Rex and Jessica’s wedding! How fun is that?! This is likely also a testament to how hard of a worker Jessica is to have such a great relationship with her boss!
Then, Rex and Jessica’s family and friends celebrated the couple’s union with a delicious meal made by Avalon Manor’s catering team (This was some of the best wedding food I’ve ever had!) and then danced the night away thanks to music from DJ Borris of Precision Sound.
Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Cullen!
Rex and Jessica, I hope you loved every second of your big day and are enjoying your honeymoon! But, more importantly, I hope you’re thrilled to finally be husband and wife!
Marriage is such a gift. I pray that you forever stay best friends and never forget how blessed you are to have one another.
Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen! Thank you for trusting me to be your wedding photographer! I hope you love these previews!
Jessica had several something blues, but her shoes had to be my favorite!
Aren’t these custom cufflinks amazing?!
I talked to Jessica a couple weeks before the big day, and she said, “I really just want a photo of the back of the cake. When you see it, you’ll know what I mean.” LOL! 
It was so nice to see Declan and Sarah, a former VRP bride and groom!
I couldn’t help grabbing a photo with the bride and groom!
Want to see more of Rex and Jessica? Check out their engagement session!
Creative Team
Venue: Avalon Manor Banquet Center
Wedding Coordinator: Every Last Detail Weddings (This was the first time I had the pleasure of working with Anna, and she was incredible! I highly recommend Anna and her team!)
Hair Stylist & Makeup Artist: Shear Madness by Paige
Bride’s Dress: David’s Bridal
Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal
Tuxedos: Men’s Wearhouse
Caterer: Avalon Manor Banquet Center
DJ: Precision Sound
Invitations: Shutterfly
Cake: Cakes by Karen
Rings: Zales
Photographer: Victoria Rayburn Photography
Second Shooter: Heather Corbin Photography
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