Sarah & Josh are absolutely perfect together!! Seperately, they seem like a case of opposites attract, but together they seem like they've spent their entire lives with one another... it's really amazing! Their wedding was completely about fellowship with their friends and family. They had a neat beach theme which played itself out in a bunch of little touches, but ultimately the emotions and excitement of the people are what really stood out to me.
Have I mentioned how much I love getting ready moments? I had to stay behind a closed door for most of her getting ready moments, but I still managed to grab a few sentimental shots!
I noticed the bouquets sitting outside on the porch and just I loved the pepper berries mixed with the bright orange roses! (I may be a bit partial since I also had pepper berries in my bouquet!)
I love this shot because at first you're drawn outward by everyone looking out, but then you see Sarah through the glass door and notice that she is shaded by someone's reflection - which happens to be her father, and then you realize Sarah is smiling back at him after he has seen her for the first time on her wedding day.
I always ask how a bride & groom feel about seeing each other before the wedding ceremony because it's still a very sensitive topic between many brides and their photographers. Some photographers insist that you see each other before, but I'm more of a go-with-the-flow kind of person and want your wedding to be a reflection of what you think is best, not what I think. I still find that, when given the choice, most brides elect not to see their grooms before the ceremony. So I was surprised when Sarah & Josh wanted to see each other beforehand, especially since most of their wedding was fairly traditional in nature. They expressed that they still wanted it to be a special moment, so we arranged for Josh to wait at the end of a path where Sarah would walk up behind him and let him know when she was ready for him to turn around and see her.
The intro picture to this blog is from the same moment as well. I really love this moment because it gives the bride & groom a chance to be alone together and to say what's on their mind when they first see each other. It also gives me an opportunity to really capture that moment and the expressions, since it's often difficult to get a great angle or close-up inside the constraints of the church. When Sarah & Josh were ready, their friends and family were waiting nearby and we were able to take almost all of the formal pictures in the beautiful outdoor lighting when everyone's makeup and clothes were fresh. I just love how relaxed and happy Sarah was after seeing Josh...
Josh was obviously excited and happy as well because he started dancing in the street as we were pulling out of the driveway to head to the church!! I normally would not shoot through my car window, but I just had to grab this moment that shows how crazy and excited Josh was!! Notice the groomsman looks like he's ready to run Josh over with the car!
Sarah & Josh were married at
St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Holt, MI, where Sarah grew up. Even after seeing each other before the ceremony, the moment inside the church was just as special and emotional because Sarah's father was finally giving his daughter away in marriage.
At one point during the ceremony, the pastor had all of the married couples turn to each other and exchange a few words of love and devotion. Here are Josh's parents doing just that..
A really personal moment during the ceremony came when the pastor pulled out a bag of Skittles!! Sarah's favorite candy! The lesson was about sharing the things you love with those whom you love and giving selflessly. It was such a cool part of the ceremony, and so meaningful to Sarah & Josh. Sarah has a great story about how Josh used Skittles when he proposed to her, and I'm hoping she'll share it in the comments of this post *HINT!*
Their reception was held at the
Ingham County Fairgrounds Community Building and they decorated with seashells, sand, and goldfish! Here are a few of those details...
I just loved the sandbucket snacks- complete with cheesy goldfish!! How fun!
Their reception was all about having fun! They had guests sing for a kiss using songs with the word "love", and a few women held up scoring cards each time they kissed! What a fun group of people!! You'll have to click on an image to see the slideshow... there were some really fun and crazy moments!!
Can you guess what song this is? I think the faux Native American headdress in the back is a big clue.
Congratulations Sarah & Josh!!! Thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of your special day!!
