"They want something nontraditional...you free?"
I got a message on Instagram from Tim, a wedding videographer I had worked with several years ago, asking if I happened to be free a Friday afternoon. His friends were coming in from Iowa City to Des Moines to elope and wanted something low-key and non-traditional—was I free? Truthfully, I was headed out of town that night for a wedding almost four hours away…but who am I not to squeeze in an elopement?
I touched base with Natalie and Mike over a video call and it became immediately clear that Tim has excellent taste in friends. Between bar recommendations and cat cameos, it was obvious that Mike and Natalie are not only the kind of clients I dream of, but the kind of people this world needs more of. Fun. Chill. Kind. Generous with cat photos. Suddenly a double-header weekend didn’t sound so bad.
Meeting Natalie, Mike, their family and their friends at the Polk County Courthouse was the best way I could have asked to start a busy weekend. Spending time with all of them was one of those moments where work doesn’t feel like work at all. We chatted, messed around, tried weird things, and just acted goofy. These two have been together for a decade and still laugh and play together like they just met.
My job is a job. It pays my bills, takes up infinite amounts of my time and attention. But my work, especially with people like Natalie and Mike, so often feels like play. I am so grateful that after working together, Tim saw the play in me and knew it aligned with his good friends because I couldn’t have asked for a better reminder of why I do what I do 🙏
