I almost missed this wedding.
When Skylar originally reached out, I wasn't sure we'd be a good fit. They were getting married at the Sherwood Event Center and their day-of events were a little more traditional than I was hoping to focus on moving forward. As a photographer, I felt like my "portfolio" was something I needed to be more conscious of. If I wanted to work with non-traditional couples, I needed to do weddings that felt that way...right?
But Skylar was persistent in a way that I respected. She sent a long email back explaining why she was drawn to my work and my personality. She sold me on their relationship and their deep desire to do something that would please their families while also being true to themselves. And the cherry on top was her deep love of ice cream, which as a follow lover, how could I say no to an opportunity for engagement and wedding-day ice cream shenanigans??
It's funny, looking back at it now and realizing how dumb I was for almost saying no to them. Skylar and I ended up texting on and off for months leading up to their wedding, me always using the excuse of asking how wedding planning was going knowing full well I just wanted to say hi. And they also get the award of longest timeline planning session after we got sidetracked talking about fun books we loved and deep feelings we had about life.
Call it getting-back-into-wedding-season mushies, but I found myself tearing up excessively throughout Skylar and Mike's wedding day. I know some of that is just me being the biggest softie on earth, but most of it was looking at Skylar and Mike and just being so HAPPY for them. It is always so marvelous to meet two people who are just so perfect for each other. And it’s even more marvelous when they decide to let you into their sphere.
I typically like to share little moments that happened throughout the day, but one thing I respect and appreciate about Skylar and Mike is their boundary setting to keep their peace. They celebrated with friends and family, greeting every single guest at dinner as they walked from table to table. They made compromises to show the people they loved that they cared about making this day special for them as well. But they put their foot down when it came to moments that were just for them. Which isn’t easy in general, but especially on your wedding day when there are so many expectations and emotions. I feel so grateful to be able to witness these intimate moments. And in this case, I’m going to choose to keep them that way.
But what I can say is, when all else fails, when you’re tired and your feet hurt and all you want to do is throw in the towel, all you ever need is your best friend for life and a little ice cream 🍨✨ (Fun little side note to further prove my point: I got home and was greeted by my partner who immediately asked, “Want to go get ice cream?” 😂)
