brushing off the dust

Well, well, well...

Bet you didn't expect to hear from me! I can't believe it's been almost 3 years. Not quite sure what my issue is with this whole blog thing, but like I've said many times before, I'm going to try and get moving with it again. I figured THIS wedding was definitely the one to start with...I mean, how can you go wrong with a destination wedding in St. Lucia??? The answer is, you can't.

{WARNING :: THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG ONE!}

I met this beautiful bride a few years ago when I shot her parents' 30th anniversary vow renewal. That day, I knew I was dealing with a special group. Last year they reached out with a special request...Chelsea was planning a destination wedding sometime this year, but the groom's grandmother was not going to be able to travel all that way, so they wanted to do something special. Something just for her. So her mother pulled out her dress from 1986, which happened to fit Chelsea PERFECTLY, and she and Mike went to the courthouse with his grandmother for a ceremony just with her. She and I were the only ones in there with them as they said their first "I do". It was amazingly special and thoughtful. I normally get teary at some point during a wedding, but I felt like it was the entire time as I watched his grandmother beam with pride at the love and commitment on display.

Several months after this ceremony, they reached back out to me to see if I'd be interested in traveling with them to St. Lucia for their second ceremony with their families. Yeah, that was not a difficult decision to make! So plans were set for our December to remember. It was a very small group. In total (including me) there were 11 people. Not for one second did I feel like a vendor or an outsider. This amazing group of humans made me feel like one of their own and included me in everything they did (to include ziplining!! Not something I ever thought I'd do!!). By the time the day came for the actual ceremony, we'd already spent 3 days together. It was magical. Being able to photograph these people who I've come to adore, in a setting that was completely different from any wedding I've ever done, was so special. These families truly love each other and I'm so lucky to have been able to capture that.