Molly + Casie | Holiday Inn Wedding

Summertime Wedding at Holiday Inn in Fargo, ND
Molly + Casie
8.8.20

Molly’s brother, Alex, choked up when he stood up to give a suprise toast at the reception. He perfectly summed up why his sister’s wedding day was a big deal — recalling that Molly once told him her wedding day was never going to happen.

Not because of the current pandemic (the celebration went on despite that).

But because Molly’s gay, and while she was growing up a legal marriage to the woman she would fall in love with wasn’t possible.

Not anymore, though! And that’s why nothing, not even the pandemic, would stop Molly & Casie from getting married. Yes, their guest list may have looked a little different. However, they still cemented their lives together surrounded by a tight network of family and friends.

Even Molly got choked up as she exchanged vows with her bride. Casie, on the other hand, had wet eyes as soon as the ceremony began. Who can blame her? For these two especially, this day is monumentous.

Here’s how our day went:

I met up with Molly & Casie with their maids of honor and personal attendant at the Holiday Inn in Fargo. Unlike most weddings, this couple spent the morning together — and split ways between the conjoined rooms when it was time to get dressed.

Then we all separately made our way to Lindenwood Park, where Molly worked for many years, for their first look, wedding party photos, and family photos. Despite the heat and overcast skies, the rain held off for the rest of the day. Which is great, because this was my favorite first look of 2020 so far! There’s no way Molly’s excitement at seeing Casie doesn’t fill your hear with joy.

After our outdoor photos, we made our way back to the Holiday Inn for the rest of the day. I loved Molly & Casie’s setup — they secured a small room for their intimate, tightknit ceremony, then we all moved over to the adjoining room, where we ate dinner. Finally, we moved one last time to the larger reception area, where more guests were invited to rip it up on the dance floor. The nice thing about this setup was that the tables/chairs/etc. didn’t have to be shuffled around during the wedding, and staff weren’t rushing to remove dinner plates while reception guests started to arrive. It worked out extremely well!

Finally, we got to the first dances — hands down one of my favorite parts of the day. Molly & Casie were so at ease during their dance. And during the short, 90 second father-daughter dances, I managed to catch the tears in Casie’s dad’s eyes. Moments like that are why I’m never content to just snap a couple photos and wait out the rest of the dance.

We stepped outside for a couple lovely sunset photos (yes, these are in the Holiday Inn parking lot!) and that ended the evening for me. I know Molly & Casie had a wonderful rest of their day!

Ceremony & Reception: Holiday Inn, Fargo
Makeup & Hair: Studio 306 - Megan Davis
Dress: Allan Evans
Bridesmaid Dresses: Amazon
Photographer: Chelsea Joy Photography

Photos by Chelsea Joy Simdorn, photographer and owner of Chelsea Joy Photography. I'm a Fargo, ND wedding photographer, capturing weddings throughout North Dakota and Minnesota!