I wonder if half our lives aren't spent looking for the kind of moments that take our breath away.
Life isn't always like that you know? Breathless moments aren't as common as you might think, but when they come around, they're extraordinary and so worth the time we spent waiting for them.
Jake and Abi met young - when they were in the eighth grade. Their families spent many happy moments together over summers. and all five of the Martin kids and all six of the Marrah kids spent those weeks well, making the kinds of friendships that last into adulthood.
Life was good, and somewhere during those summer days sparks flew between Jake and Abi. They dated. And then they didn't. And then they did. Because sometimes it just takes all of us a little time to find our way, know our hearts, and find the path that our feet can feel right about taking. Fast forward to 2014. They're dating. While Abi's family is moving across the country, relocating from their life-long home in Virginia to sunny Las Vegas, she is heading to Columbus to attend The Ohio State University - conveniently located in Jake's home town.
They date, but Abi tells me it will be a long while before they get married - they're in school, life is busy, it just makes sense to wait awhile...
...until it doesn't make sense anymore. Until you forget why you're waiting to walk down an aisle when you've found the person you always want to be found standing next to.
So he buys a ring because when you know, you know. And on a cold winter night he sings her a song and asks her to be the one standing next to him for the rest of his days, and all of those best laid plans take a back seat because life's BEST moments often don't come on our timetable.
She says yes - fast forward - it's July and they're saying the big, real forever 'YES' now.
You know, I've only known Abi a year (she's my 2nd shooter on most wedding days), but I've never seen her this happy.
Jake is goofy and keeps her laughing and that'll be the best antidote when there are rough days.
Jake and Abi had a midday wedding and it was so important to them to be able to spend as much time with their guests as possible, so they opted to do the photos of just the two of them AFTER the reception was over. Because Abi is also a photographer, the photos were important to her as well. I loved that this gave her the best of both worlds. Abi loves photos that are free spirited, romantic, authentic, adventurous. When she heard there was a creek where we were shooting their formals, before I even had a chance to ask her if she wanted to venture into the water, she asked if she could. Woman after my own heart right there.
If you've followed this blog long at all, you're probably wondering where the rest of their wedding is...you know, the part where they actually said "I DO" and all. I'm doing something a little differently with this wedding. Tonight I'm blogged the peek into their creative shoot. Tomorrow I'm sharing the part of their day that everyone else saw and experienced - getting ready, the ceremony, the reception. It just felt right because I had a lot of photos from their creative shoot, and it was going to end up being a HUGE blog post if I shared it all at once. So I'm giving it to you in two segments! Check back tomorrow for the rest of their story! And enjoy!
SECOND PHOTOGRAPHER | Ashley D Photography
FLOWER CROWN & BOUTONIERRES | Sophia Arroyo
HAIR & MAKE UP | Milca Rhodes
BOUQUETS | Anderson Farms
VIDEOGRAPHY | Jack & Taylor McClintock of G&P Productions