" When you smile that way
I know...
That's when I love you, when I need you...
That's when I know without a doubt
That I can't live without you"
I know...
That's when I love you, when I need you...
That's when I know without a doubt
That I can't live without you"
I was so sad when I found out that her wedding was in North Carolina, on Sunday the 25th. I had Sarah's here on the 24th and I was sure that there was no way any bride would be comfortable with me flying into her state the day of the wedding.
But, Val is no ordinary bride :D We bought a ticket for 5:30 am, and by 7:45 wedding morning I was at her house! Praise God! No travel complications whatsoever. I might have been a little sleepy, but was quickly energized when I saw Val. And met her family!
Val is one of twelve (I believe - it might be eleven). They were also hosting a huge handful of bridesmaids and out-of-town guests. Children, adults, dresses, suitcases and sleeping bags were everywhere! I felt SO at home and was just like "Oh man, this is how a family should be." I loved it!
Shortly after arriving we headed off to the hair-dresser with the first "wave" of girls. This hair-dresses was straight out of a movie. Classic southern, country shop! The lady who ran the place recruited her sister and granddaughter to help with make 12 heads of girls "pretty." They talked about how the met their husbands, how the fell in love and one lady even said "We've been married for 30 years next Tuesday, and, my goodness, to this day when I look at that phone and see his name my heart skips a beat." AAaaaawww!!! I felt like I was in a real life chick-flick!
And then, Miss-soon-to-be-Mrs.-Head-over-heels-Valerie came in. It was just a love mess in that hair salon! Jimmy called her while she was having make-up done and I thought she was going to explode from happiness. She went in another room to talk to him, but I snuck a few shots of her. She was just magnificently happy talking to him. When I picture in my mind what "madly in love" is, she is what I picture.
As if life wasn't mushy and terribly cute enough for me, when Val returned home, we found her dad in the kitchen making hotdogs for an assortment of kids.
"Dear, you look beautiful"
Val grabbed a handful of goldfish "Oh thank you Daddy!"
"Valerie, I don't think we ever got to practice our dance together."
She offered to practice with him right there in the kitchen, amidst highchairs and potato chips :D
It was the sweetest :D
Part of the reason I didn't blog this week was because I couldn't pick which things to blog about! I would start going through pictures, then I would end up with 150 that fit into the story! I still try to do another post of these two, cause I love so many of the pictures, but here is a condensed version of the rest of the day.
(ps. Um, I really, really, really loved Val's dress. I felt like Cinderella just looking at it!)
Happy eyes!
Happy mouths!
I thought this was cute... he put his hat on her - it looked like a movie (the perfect end to a chick-flick perhaps?)
Ugh, it just drives me crazy when the grooms are so gloomy and un-smiley. Sheesh ;D
After this wedding, I think I figured something out about me. I love memories. I love "little moments." I love the stuff that "you just had to be there" to get. And wedding photography, unlike almost any other kind of photography, gets to capture that.
Each wedding is different, each wedding is romantic and amazing in its own way. Each wedding is someone's BIG day. The day of their dreams. And it will never happen again! And I get to capture it!
For example, the flower-toss went different at this wedding.. I passer-by caught the bouquet hahah SO funny!
And three cheers for embarrassing toasts! I loved their faces as Val's sister told a pretty awesome "dating" story with these two haha
Oh, Val and Jimmy, thank you for welcoming me into your life for such a big day! Jimmy, thank you for being Prince Charming to Val. She really adores you :D And Val, you make me so happy. I wish that every bride was as happy as you were on your wedding day!
Congratulations!
ps. This song by Phil Vassar called "When I Love You" yeah, its so, so cute and I think it was written for these two!