Michelle and Josh's Wedding

Saturday Ashley and I had a blast shooting Michelle and Josh's wedding. Every wedding is fun and unique in it's own way, and this wedding was especially memorable.

The day started off with the girls and getting ready. The girls did their normal thing: hang out, talk, get excited. There were some great conversations and some drama; can one bad flower spoil the whole bouquet? I also learned that it's ok to have cookies for breakfast.

About noon I proceeded to meet the guys. One thing I always look forward to is finding out who the crazy people are at a wedding. Sometimes it's the girls who are outgoing and wild, other times it's the guys; at this wedding, I'm going to have to give the prize to the guys. Let's just say there was some alcohol, a groomsman practicing his wolfpack speech from "Hangover," and an Irish hat/wig.

The ceremony was Catholic, which for me is a new thing. I've only done one other Catholic wedding and this one was a little different. Growing up Baptist, I never really have experienced something like this. It was very emotional and the audience was involved throughout the whole process, repeating scripture, praying, and greeting each other with a hug.

After the ceremony is when the fun really began. We travelled to Dickson Street to the Garden Room. Everyone was excited and laughing and just hanging out. The music started and there was some crazy dancing going on. The night ended in climax with the classic pelting of the bride and groom with rice as they ran toward their getaway. The real excitement, though, was when Josh tried to back his truck out of a small space with a hundred of his closest friends and relatives all trying to give him directions at the same time. Luckily, he made it out safely and everyone cheered as he drove off.

Giving Back: Free Wedding

At church today, the message was about giving, and one thing that really stuck out in my mind was that often God will tell us to give and we will reason our way out of it. We'll think it wasn't really God talking to us, or there is no way we could give that.

Anyway, I felt that God told me to give. So I'm not going to really think about it or question it.

If you are in need of a wedding photographer this summer and you have a special need, please contact me.

Again, I'm not going to think too much about this. I'm just going to trust God with it. He can make amazing things happen.

Holland Wedding

A week ago we shot Allison's wedding in Fayetteville and it was a great time. I got to hang out with some of the goofiest (in a good way) girls and some laid back but funny guys. It was interesting to see how different the two groups were. The girls were bouncing off the walls and the guys were just calm and collected.
Part of the fun was the room the ladies got ready in. It was a nursery for the church, and it was loaded with interesting things. I was kind of jealous because I don't remember having such cool things when I was little. They had all of these plastic cars and boats they could ride in, so of course, we made the girls get on them. There was also this very detailed train track with animals. We always try to find a unique place to do ring shots; is there anything more unique than a giraffe popping out of a train?

To end the night, the boys ran off and totally destroyed the bride and groom's ride. They wrote all over it and wrapped the doors shut. That probably wasn't the nicest thing to do, but it sure was a blast to watch.

Allison and Eli made a beautiful exit with the lights of the town center illuminating their way and their closest friends and family cheering and blowing bubbles. It was a great end to a wonderful day.