Sooo, my little sister got married. A week before I did, in fact! Talk about a CRAAAZY time. Crazy, crazy, crazy, but also so filled with love and family that the entire time was really just a blur of light and happiness. Getting to capture these little moments filled my heart and I can only hope she treasures these photos as much as I did. Those two weeks in May were the most emotional, loving, and beautiful two weeks I think I've ever experienced.
Daylen and Jesse met the prior year. He's a laid back guy from Sheridan, Wyoming, and she's a quirky Oja girl with a deep love and tie to the Western lifestyle, so HELLO, match made in heaven! Instantly after their romance began we all knew this relationship was different. In the coming months we got to see these two tease each other, love each other, and build a bond that ultimately led to this beautiful, beautiful, wedding. And although I knew it was coming, I was still shocked when I got that phone call over Christmas vacation. She immediately asked me to be her Maid of Honor and I immediately started imagining her wedding. What sort of dress she would wear, what her wedding theme would be, all those crazy little details.
The four or fiveish months that led up to the wedding were insane. A dear friend of mine got married, I got engaged and planned to get married right after Jesse, and I was in my final semester finishing up my Bachelor's degree. Jesse had graduated early, so we worked our booties off trying to pull her wedding together. But everything just fell into place. The napkins were monogrammed, the wedding dress was perfect, the food was planned out, and the final details just figured themselves out. It really does help when you have 11 sisters however! ;)
We just then had to wait for May 13th, 2017.
The day before the wedding, where we all were getting a little bit of much-needed rest combined with some last minute details done. The night before Jesse's wedding, all of the sisters went and played laser tag together. SO MUCH FUN! To people located in the Hancock/Houghton area and looking for something different to do, check out the laser tag offered here.
Apparently something was quite funny..
The weather, as per usual in the Upper Peninsula in May, was looking a little dicey. We kept watching the forecast, but on the day of the wedding the weather was incredible. The sun shone, the air was warm with a slight breeze, and it was like God was just smiling on this day.
Getting ready was so great. We had a mix of sisters and friends in my parent's rec room, which we had designated as the "getting ready room." We drank rose lemonade, giggled a LOT, used an inordinate amount of bobby pins and hairspray, and basically stared at Jesse when she was ready because LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL.
People look the best with love in their eyes and their hearts, and a smile on their face.
This moment was especially sweet. Daylen doesn't especially love being the center of attention, so we ushered most of the family back inside so they could have this moment "sorta" to themselves. I'm pretty sure I saw a tear eek out of his eye. They literally couldn't stop just cheesing and looking at each other. Ugh, my heart.
We had quite a bit of time before family photos and before the ceremony, so I took my little sister and the groom out to the well-fitting location of an old horse barn and pasture. My favorite part of working with couples is seeing how they interact in these moments. Portraits can be intimidating, and I generally lead the way through them, but sometimes the first couple minutes is fun to see how they get each other to relax. Jesse was teasing him and he couldn't really resist cracking up eventually.
Okay and now for my stinking favorite part..
I think that if a photographer says they can't or don't shoot in the sun, that that is a good indicator to run away. Especially for weddings. Sure it's tough to make it look perfect and flattering, but it's part of the wedding day, and can very well be an opportunity for bright, happy, and more interesting photos.
Anyway, after we froliced in the field for a bit, we headed inside to hang out with family and open a couple gifts before we started family photos. Notice the slight chaos and the amount of females present.
The time for family photos was quite the event. Brothers and brother in-laws who haven't seen each other in awhile chatted with each other while the little nephews played baseball and the babies sat eating goldfish crackers.
While I could have included the "stand and smile" photos, I like focusing on the candids instead. The kisses and interactions and overall happiness. I also had to share the photo of Jesse and her three brothers (compared to her and her 11 sisters!).
We slowly drifted away from the house and to the church for the ceremony. It was a simple setup, focusing on white and green and a hint of pink as her color theme. Our sister Vicki created the beautiful cake!
The ceremony took place inside the church, and we ate food and cake and chatted with family after the lovely couple were wed. They say you just radiate on your wedding day, and it couldn't have been more true with these two. They just couldn't stop smiling!!
Saying goodbye to my little sister was really, really hard. We both were headed in opposite directions, her to Wyoming and me to North Carolina. We both knew that it could be a longgg time before we saw each other again, and our days of rooming together in my parent's basement were over. She couldn't walk down the short hallway to ask me advice, and I couldn't "lovingly" tell her my big sister opinion in all of her daily choices (which I'm sure she appreciated ;). Our tight knit band of sisters couldn't laugh at her dorky faces and stories so easily.
But knowing she was starting a life with this wonderful, caring and gentle man made this transition so, so much easier. Knowing she would be cared for and loved well lifted the heartache that came with saying goodbye.
I wish nothing but happiness and eternal love for these two. The kind of love that allows passionate arguments, but also allows forgiveness. The kind of love story that isn't a fairy tale, but instead lets real emotion and moments exist. Where you grow as a couple and as people, leaning on each other through the valleys of life, and celebrating the peaks together. Where you can cry together, laugh a LOT together, and put faith and family above all.
I also hope she gets a big ranch of horses and a passel of adorable little brunette babies.
““To love is nothing. To be loved is something. But to love and be loved, that’s everything.”
— T. Tolis”