“And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.” ― Kahlil Gibran

There’s something so cool about being a part of a wedding day for a couple that you truly believe in. My backstory with Natalie and Blake is long. I’ll spare you all of the details but the short and sweet end of it is that what feels like a lifetime ago I was actually a personal trainer for Natalie’s entire immediate family. Chuckle away at the thought of me holding a stop watch yelling at this sweet bride to get a few more push ups in but in the end I did walk away from the job that I held down for a few years while I was trying to figure out how to become a full time wedding photographer with a few very close friends. Natalie is actually the only bride I have ever shot who actually attended my wedding and so it should go without saying that I had a lot invested in trying to make sure that the photos and this whole day was perfect for her.

The most interesting part about this whole story is the fact that all of this started nearly 8 years ago and while Natalie was just in high school at the time there was already this guy Blake. These two some how connected as just kids and though she’s quite a bit younger than me they’ve been together for longer than Melissa and I have even known each other. With so much history between these two and these two families I knew this wedding was going to be amazing and when I found out that Amanda Reed was planning and designing the whole event I absolutely couldn’t wait to be a part of it all.

The entire wedding was gorgeous and from the moment I walked into huge hugs and smiles from Natalie to the moment Blake first felt her sneak up behind him all the way to the end of the night as they ran through cheering family and friends all to the glow of sparklers every moment was perfect. So grateful to have been a part of the family for this day and to have been so involved with this family for nearly a decade means the world to me!