I am so excited to share this story…..

Lisa Erika came to me a long time ago. She wanted to do something really special for her parents who were going to be celebrating their 48th wedding anniversary. We set up a session at Castle Farms, and along side celebrating their anniversary with a session, she also wanted to surprise her parents with a vow renewal. Lisa Erika worked so hard to make her vision come to life. I knew it was going to be something special. I could feel it. All of the vendors involved could feel it too. And we all knew it would be a time we would never forget.

I met Charles and Darlene and was swept away by their sweetness, grace and charm. I loved hearing about how they met, stories about their life, and their wedding all those years ago. Of course I had to ask them what THEIR secret was to being married all of these years. They replied that being extremely family oriented and having faith in God was what made it work for them, and the rest just falls into place. I loved that.

We started the session as normal. As I was photographing them, I told them that there was a window upstairs that I really wanted to take them to. I said the light was really beautiful up there. As I brought them on the other side of the curtain, the harp started to play and they saw their daughter along with Ed and Glad Remaly at the end of the petal lined aisle. They were very surprised to say the least! After they realized what was going on, they walked down the aisle hand in hand and were greeted with a beautiful ceremony that was prepared especially for them. I photographed through teary eyes the entire time.

It was a beautiful moment and I am so happy to have been a part of it. It was like seeing into the future of all of the weddings I currently photograph. Along with Lisa Erika who did a stellar job coordinating everything, the other vendors who made the day special were Ed and Glad Remaly, Bloom, Castle Farms, Amanda with La Dolce Vita Salon, Sylvia Norris, and Traverse City Video.

Cheers to Darlene and Charles to many more amazing years.  Thank you for being an inspiration to us all. 🙂