annaka and malcolm - married!

my life has felt a bit out of control lately.  from an accident that totaled our car to the heart-wrenching death of our son, judah, to the overwhelming good that we can see being birthed out of that tragedy, the days are starting to feel like a roller coaster ride that i'm not sure i want to be on.

but in the midst of these last two weeks of ups and downs, i had the joy of shooting annaka and malcolm's wedding this past weekend, and it was such a gorgeous spark in what has felt like, at times, such a dark night.

to begin with, the venue for their wedding was perfect.  it was a beautiful home that sits right on the lake and is surrounded by loads of great photo-taking locations.




but add to that a fantastic mixture of their closest friends, and it was a dream!



while annaka and her bridesmaids were putting the finishing touches on their hair and makeup, i took the time to capture some of the gorgeous details of the special day...




and then i took the guys out for a photo that annaka had requested.  she had seen this picture in my portfolio, and thankfully she loved the idea as much as i do.  it's one of my favorite sets from the whole wedding day.



yes, the gentlemen looked super...



but even hot tuxedos in 100+ degree weather couldn't stop them from having a little fun...



before long, the girls were perfectly dolled up, and we made a quick run of photos out in the heat before we started to melt and had to come back in.



amazing, aren't they??  they were so, so sweet and they willingly did anything i asked of them.  love these ladies!!



and annaka and malcolm...well, let's just say that they make such a stunning couple.




the wedding ceremony itself was beautiful...



and the night kept going with the fantastic reception.





thank you both so much for letting me be with you and share in your wonderful wedding day.  i love you bunches!!

i'll leave you with a couple of annaka's photos that just take my breath away.  she's such a stunning bride!