This is a very special wedding that I’m sharing today! You’re going to love the sunset portraits and the rustic portraits in the woods with glowy light peeking through the trees…. but what we love the most about this wedding is the couple! They are family!! Will is Michael’s cousin and since Michael and I grew up together, I have known Will pretty much all of his life. We didn’t spend a lot of time together until Michael and I started dating in high school and I would travel with them to celebrate Thanksgiving in West Virginia. I have always experienced Will to be the smart one… the cousin with all the brains! He’s always been mature, wise and kind. It was no surprise that he ended up becoming an aeronautical engineer!
Will got an amazing job up in Connecticut and while we all knew that this job would be great for his career, we didn’t know that it would lead him to the love of his life! Lauren was his perfect match. She’s smart, fun, talented, loves the Lord and can have conversations about jet engines with Will that are above everyone else’s head. She challenges him, encourages him and she makes him so incredibly happy.
I had a lot of moments throughout their wedding day where I felt my eyes starting to water. However, there were two specific moments that stuck out to me. Will and Lauren washed each other’s feet during their ceremony and it reminded me of when Michael washed my feet before he proposed to me. It’s not a common thing to do…. but it’s so special. It’s such a visual representation of a commitment to serve and love like Christ. The reason I love seeing it done at weddings is because it’s not convenient for a bride to kneel on the ground in her dress. It’s not flashy or fancy… it’s the complete opposite. Watching Will and Lauren wash each other’s feet during their wedding made me think about what their marriage will look like beyond the wedding day. When the honeymoon is over and life gets hard, they are committed to serving God and serving each other. Moments like this mean more to me now that Michael and I have walked through hard seasons in our marriage. It’s so beautiful and so powerful to watch two people commit to never walking away no matter what live brings them.
Another moment that led to a lot of mascara running down my face was watching Will dance with his mom. Both of them were in tears and then, just when I thought I had pulled myself together, Aunt Kimmy (Will’s mom) handed the end of the dance off to Lauren. Maybe it’s my post-partum hormones or the fact that I have a little boy that I will hopefully dance with one day at his own wedding, but I was a MESS!
This was such a beautiful day. The weather, the couple, the celebration… it was perfect and we were so honored to be a part of it. As you scroll through my favorites, you should know that Lauren is actually wearing her MOM’S wedding dress!! Isn’t that amazing?! She had it altered (took off the poofy sleeves!) and adjusted to fit her perfectly!!!
Enjoy some of my favorites!! Congrats Will and Lauren!! I hope Greece is amazing!
so sweet!
One of my favorite first look shots that Michael has ever taken!
Michael’s mom and her three sisters!
Below is a picture of Michael’s grandparents! Michael and Baby Graham are both named after Grandpa Runyan!
This glow!!!!
Ceremony & Reception | The Confluence Resort
Florist | Bessie’s Floral
Planner | Pervis Major
Catering | Fish Hawk Acres
Bridesmaids Dresses | David’s Bridal
Groomsmen Attire | Men’s Warehouse
View their Engagement Session HERE!
Here it is! Post one of twelve! I’m committing, once again, to blogging my favorite images each month of Everett’s first year and I’m excited about it because I know from past experience that this is truly the BEST motivation and accountability to stay on top of family editing!!
It’s hard to believe I’m writing this… my fourth birth story in four years. I’ve given birth in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Just typing that makes me tired….. and so grateful…. unbelievably grateful. These last four years have been the best and hardest of my life. We cherish being parents and welcoming a new baby is hands down the most incredible thing we have ever experienced in our 18 years together. I’m so excited to introduce you to our newest member of our family and tell you the story of how he came into this world!
Whether you’re brand new to business or have been in business for quite a while, this brand new Youtube video is for you! Michael and I, early on in our business, struggled to relinquish tasks to other professionals outside of our business. Really…. It was more of MY STRUGGLE than his.
Welcome to December’s Student Spotlight!! It’s a new month and we have new photographers to celebrate!! I’m so thankful for them and for their willingness to give of their time and share their stories!!!
This shoot was supposed to happen about a month earlier on the exact day that leftover rains from a hurricane swept through Washington. I’m so thankful we rescheduled! Our reschedule date was absolute perfection! The temperature, the glow, the locations…. it was beautiful! Tyler and Abby’s outfit choices were wonderful and the leaves were full of color and still hanging on the trees.
When Michael and I were in our early years of dating, I would go on trips with his family for Thanksgiving and summer trips to West Virginia and I spent time with his cousins! “Bri-Bri” was so little! He’s the youngest of all of the cousins and it’s crazy to think that he’s old enough to be getting MARRIED! He’s actually older than we were when we got married!! We have known Shannon for years and we were THRILLED when we heard that Brian had proposed because we always hoped that would happen!!!