The bride and groom always take center stage at a wedding. But I love when that stage is also filled with family and friends. Nadia and Wyatt took so much care to include their loved ones into their ceremony, and the result was a day brimming with joy. Every moment captured on the gorgeous spring day just shined with happiness! There were so many grins, giggles, and the good kinds of tears.
Nadia and Wyatt met at a local bonfire and, gasp, Nadia almost didn’t go! Something told her to go anyway -- a little nudge from above, you might say -- and that night there were definite sparks. :-) It was meant to be from there!
Nadia and Wyatt had driven down to meet me in downtown Bartlesville for their engagement session, but for their wedding I drove north to Coffeyville, Kansas to capture their special day. I was super excited to photograph their wedding in Kansas, because this would be my first shoot in our neighbor state! (That’s a great advantage of being a wedding photographer in my corner of northeast Oklahoma -- it’s super easy to pop over to three other states.)
The day started at Nadia’s childhood home where her mom, sisters, and closest friends all helped her get ready. I loved that Nadia and her mom had matching braids in their hair -- such a sweet mother-daughter connection. Then we headed over to the beautiful property of their close friends, where the ceremony would be officiated by Nadia’s brother-in-law.
Did you know that first-look sessions don’t just have to be between the bride and groom? Nadia shared a sweet moment with her father who glowed with pride. Then she and Wyatt took a moment for themselves. It’s so special and important to set aside time during a busy wedding day to have a private moment.
It would be hard to pick a favorite scene from this amazing day, but an especially meaningful moment was when the bride’s and groom’s parents stood together with the couple to share a prayer. Both Nadia and Wyatt wanted to share their deep commitment to putting the Lord first in their marriage, and the ceremony showed just how blessed they will be in the years to come.
PS: One little side story from the day I’m never going to forget and I can’t resist sharing! It was the moment when I almost went from wedding photographer to wildlife photographer: Everyone was happily dancing at the reception when I heard a suspicious rustling in the bushes behind me. I soon found out it was a three-foot-log snake! Eeek! I didn’t have a clue what to do about it and definitely didn’t want all the guests to know …. But thankfully Wyatt’s dad was able to help me quickly take care of it without a single soul on the dance floor knowing about the scare! See? It’s always good to have family around ;)
