Month: September 2015

I’ve been playing with these photos for over an hour now.  I know what I’m doing.  I’m fiddling with photos to keep myself from having to do the real work.  The real work being, finding the words to describe Lauren & Darrik’s wedding day.

I usually like to tell the story of a wedding day from my perspective, because really… I don’t know it from any other point of view.  But to tell this story from my perspective would require backing up several months to let you know just how easily Lauren slid into my life.  Sometimes you run across people in life that just get you.  They know your language without ever have spoken to you.  They understand your world without you even welcoming them into your home.  That was Lauren.  Late night text marathons happened often.  Details of their wedding day were hashed out around every corner.  And when those text conversations turn into late night video calls with no makeup, in bad lighting… you know you have met one of your soul-people.

So, knowing this, you can only imagine the embrace that occurred as I walked into Lauren’s hotel room at the Bellagio so that we could ride out of town together.  It felt like my arms were around a best friend.  A sister.  Whom I had never met.

To be truthful. I don’t really know Darrik all that well.  I only know what Lauren has told me because they live in Denver, so I only met him on the wedding day.  But I don’t actually need to know Darrik to understand him.  I understand him because I see the way that Lauren looks at him.  She looks to him for comfort for herself, and for protection for her and their beautiful daughter.  Lauren wrote her vows to Darrik in the limo on the way out of town, and had them completed within twenty minutes.  When you love a man so much that words spew from your heart onto paper that quickly… it’s likely a love that you can only find once in a lifetime.During the ceremony, Angie of Peachy Keen Unions quoted a verse:  Ecclesiastes 4:12  “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. (But) a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”  I know that this verse is meant to say that Lauren & Darrik’s unity is not quickly broken when their faith is considered the third strand, but I couldn’t help but feel as though their third strand is also the love they share for their daughter.  A family of three was made under this beautiful tree.   I joked with Lauren & Darrik that I was going to take them out into the desert with a shovel and some duct tape in the trunk.  They giggled briefly, but after riding in the limo for yet another thirty minutes out of Las Vegas… they may have started to get a little bit more concerned about my ominous threat.
This tattoo on Lauren’s arm is just one of many tributes she offered to her late Grandfather on her wedding day.  Lauren’s Pa raised her.  And her heart was just as broken on her wedding day as it was overflowing.  She longed for Pa to be able to see her be married, and the tears didn’t stop flowing throughout the day.  The photo below is both my favorite photo from the day, and the one that breaks my heart the most. Lauren and Darrik, superficially I wished for three things on your wedding day, pretty light, swarms of geese and wild horses.  I got all of those things, plus two more added for the cherries on top.  I got two lifelong friends.  Thank you so much for trusting me with your intimate ceremony, and for letting me witness the first day of your marriage.  xo.

I am not sure that I have ever been so prepared to shoot a wedding. Every single detail of Robyn & Meir’s wedding had been hashed out via email by her coordinator extraordinaire… and Momager… Marcie. Marcie was on point. She had a binder to house binders. She had documents that detailed every nook and cranny of wedding planning. And she was the queen of communication. Which is a huge reason why Robyn & Meir’s wedding went off without a hitch.

We arrived at Red Rock Country Club on time and ready to dive into the wedding day… little did we know we were about to dive into a slew of gorgeous details laid out for us, and a bride who could not have been happier to be marrying the love of her life. Robyn beamed with excitement, and her smile infected everyone around her with happiness. And while Meir is a little bit more reserved than Robyn… and shied away from the camera for a large portion of the day, they fit with one another perfectly. This precision fit could not have been more evident than the moment that Robyn walked down the aisle to see Meir for the first time, because in that moment, Robyn infected Meir too. And she has continued to do so each and every day that has passed since their wedding.

All of my love and condolences to Robyn, Meir and Robyn’s family on the loss of their wonderful Grandpa. I only knew him for a day, but I could see every ounce of pride and love that he had for his family in his smile. It is absolutely humbling and an honor to know that we were able to capture this memory for Robyn before her Grandpa’s passing.

Robyn & Meir, I could not have been happier to spend your wedding day with you and your families. Even though the wind had it out for us that day, the love that you two share was enough to really shine through in your wedding photos. Your friendship means the world to me, and I can’t wait to see what you guys are going to be up to next. And Robyn, please continue to make my days brighter with your hysterical Facebook posts! I adore you both. Congratulations. xo.