Happy Monday! After being gone for four days in the Southwest last week, I’m catching up on alllll the work things this week (last week was laundry, cleaning, and time with the kiddos!) and FINALLY getting this incredible wedding day up on the blog!
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Devon and Ashton have such a cool, inspiring, and emotional story. We met and started working together a week before their wedding, and yet I felt like we had known each other for much longer and I just knew God brought us together for a reason. I literally feel so SO honored and blessed to have had the opportunity to not only document their day, but also be a witness to their love, the strong support of their family and friends, and a day that was jam packed with unique and special moments. They both are truly some of the sweetest and kindest people, I am proud to know them, and excited to follow them as they start their marriage adventure!
I could probably write a short book on these two, but I’ll save you from having to read through a ton of my rambling so you can get to the good stuff – the photos of their day! So, I’m going to share a few tidbits of info about them and their day that I think are either so fun or put into perspective just how special this day was for everyone:
// Devon and Ashton were set up by a mutual friend who thought they’d be great together – and according to Ashton, the rest was pretty much history as soon as they met.
// They later figured out that they were both born at the SAME hospital only 14 HOURS apart (making Devon slightly older than his bride). Like WHAT?!?! How freaking cool and unique is that!
// Devon did reeeally good and completely surprised Ashton on a trip out west for a family member’s wedding, where he popped the question at sunset in Yellowstone National Park. Um, okay, talk about the perfect place!
// Family is HUGE to both Devon and Ashton, and you could feel this throughout the day from both sides of their family as well. They had their grandfathers officiate the wedding together, Ashton shared a first look with her father AND all of her grandparents too, and the first dances included Ashton dancing with her mother also. Prior to the ceremony – and without letting the bride and groom see each other because they were waiting for their first look down the aisle, Devon and Ashton came together with their families and wedding party for a special time of prayer together prior to the ceremony. The support was incredible.
// Did I not mention this day was packed with special moments?!
// Not to end on a somber note, but, Ashton’s side of the family unfortunately experienced not one, but two huge losses within the few weeks prior to their wedding. Both her great grandfather and great grandmother passed away, but their legacy and presence were definitely felt during their celebration and day.
// In fact, those amazing periwinkle blue earrings that Ashton is wearing – those were her great grandmother’s! Ashton waited until her grandmother (whose mother was the one who passed) was able to help her put them in. Cue the tears… It was honestly one of the most beautiful moments I have seen at a wedding to date, and one of my top favorite that just completely stood out to me from their day.
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You guys, THIS. THIS RIGHT HERE is why I do what I do. If I’m not capturing these in between moments, these moments that show us that we all are human and go through the same things, these moments that tell the reality that is sadness and joy dwelling within the same timeframe… then I’m not doing my job. Real people, experiencing life, the ups and downs, honoring legacies, sharing in new adventures, celebrating new life and new relationships, sharing in the joy and the sadness, and just loving and living together. Stories are unfolding each day, hour, minute, and second. My mission as a photographer is to always try my best to find the moments that string together and tell your story, bring you and future generations back to a particular time in history, and tell it honestly and authentically. No fluff, no perfect posing all the time, not just the usual or most epic parts of a wedding day captured… EVERYTHING. Everything that makes you you, and your story your’s.
This is also why I get so anxious and excited to know what you all think of your photos when I send your galleries out. Seriously! I will be so out of sorts until I hear something from my clients and I can’t relax until I know what you think. And I think I can accurately speak for most photographers about this, so PLEASE just give us a heads up you got your gallery and peeked through it, feedback whether good or bad (we want to learn and grow from things that didn’t turn out as well as we had hoped), and a kind or two word if you love them! It truly means the world to us!
So, without further ado (and I think I may have rambled a bit, sorry guys – it’s kind of inevitable with me, ha!), here is a highlight reel from Devon and Ashton’s rustic, elegant, and beautiful wedding day last October. Enjoy!
VENDORS //
Bride // Stella York from Carrie Johnson Bridal
Bridesmaids // Stella York from Carrie Johnson Bridal
Groom & Groomsmen // Men’s Wearhouse
Earrings // The bride’s great grandmother’s
Floral // Done by the bride herself! She did an AMAZING job and they were stunning!
Ceremony // River of Life Church – Cold Spring, MN
Reception // Blackberry Ridge Golf Club – Sartell, MN
Catering // Blackberry Ridge Golf Club – Sartell, MN
Cake // Cold Spring Bakery
Wedding Planner // Adara Peterson – Borrowed & Blue
DJ/Entertainment Services // Midwest Sound DJ Entertainment
Stationary // Vistaprint
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