Every wedding that we are blessed to shoot has so much meaning to me.  I love the relationships we build with each couple and the part of the family that we start to become.  Sarah and Michael are the most amazing example of this.  I have been able to be a part of other weddings in the family, which always makes it even more special to see smiling familiar and loving faces again.  You might remember Joy and Eric from last year and their sweet day that even got published in The Knot.  Well, Sarah is Eric’s adorable little sister, and when she asked me to do her wedding photography I JUMPED at the opportunity, but simply put…I now ADORE this family.  We were able to do engagements and bridals and through each I was able to get to know Sarah a little more…each time she overwhelmed me with her grace and loving nature.  There is no doubt about this, ask ANYONE she has ever met.  The biggest blessing in all of this to me were the little surprises of gifts as well as the vulnerability of prayer over me and my family.  When Sarah and her family say they are praying for our family…I KNOW they are praying for our family.  To me that alone speaks volumes about a person and their heart.
Sarah and Michael…I honestly cannot say enough gracious things about you…all of them being true.  A kiss that you held on to until you both said “I do” made everyone in the room that night want to burst with joy and be overwhelmed with God’s love for us.  It was so present…thank you for that gift.  You are going to bless so many through your marriage…and all I can say is that I was honored to be there to start it all with you!

Some of Sarah’s memories from the night:

A. Hearing “oh how he loves us” play as I walked towards Michael down the isle. It was one of the most joyous moments of Michael’s and my life, and it was incredible to hear that as we basically acted out a picture of Christ’s great love for his bride-the church-his people!

A. When people tell you “it flies by and your going to forget parts of it”, they mean it… for example, my maid of honor kept slipping me mints during the reception. When I finally asked her why she was doing this, she said I had told her numerous times while getting ready to make sure and give me mints throughout the night…I still to this day don’t remember asking her. Thsnk you Susan for the fresh breath!

A. Michael and I both agree it was the moment just before we left the reception. Everyone was directed out to start the “send off tunnel”, leaving Michael and I alone in the reception hall. As we shared one last dance, I remember feeling overwhelmed with love, and as I looked around the empty hall, it felt as if the love from our family and friends was so great that it somehow still lingered in that place, even with everyone outside.

HUGE thanks to Wendi Poole for her amazing second shooting shots.  PLEASE check out more of her work here.

In the words of the bride – vendor love-

Venue: St Anthony’s reception hall
Dress: Cabo dress by Watters
Hair: Layne Madden- friend of bride and in the Fort Worth area for all you looking
Wedding Planner: The wonderful Claudia De Velaso with A Day to Remember
Decor: The bride and her talented crew
Cake: Sweet Memories
Floral: Lisa Pieper
Music: Ben and Sam Biles, friends of the bride and groom
Programs/ invites: Aggieland printing
Special attire: Pearls from grandmother Donaldson and a sixpence from grandmother Wilson
Bridesmaids attire: The girls got to choose their own as long as they were grey
gents attire: All different gray suits
DIY elements: I did nothing myself, I did everything with the help of friends and family. Along with general decorating, we put together a “family favorites” candy bar, found mason jars + old books (and lots of them) for center pieces, made a photobooth, and used book pages for confetti holders.  Brides bouquet was comprised of flowers from her “house party” that left them in a vase as they walked down the isle.

-A wedding is not always easy to plan, and we would have been lost without the support of our family and friends: thank you for your prayers and how you continue to bless our marriage-