There are so many ways to meet people these days. Old and new, from mutual friends, to video games, to Tinder, people meet in all ways. Clint and Melissa met on Tinder. This first reaction of "oh, this person looks cute" quickly transformed into other things "oh, he seems really nice" and so forth. After trading a couple messages Clint decided to take a risk - he invited Melissa to a concert. Not exactly the traditional choice for a first date. Even more risky, he picked her up - meaning there was no way to bail if things were going badly. Melissa told me that when he first asked her, she was going to say no for those very reason. But then her sister convinced her to go for it. Turns out, it was a great idea. They went out for Mexican food, where they quickly found out that conversation flowed easily among them, and that they enjoyed each others company. Then they went to the concert (to see a band Melissa had never heard of) and had an incredible time. By the end, they both came out excited. Melissa would call her sister to tell her how it went, and Clint would be excited to go on the next date with her - to see where this would all lead.
About a week before Chris and Sara got married I got a call - they needed a photographer. You see, like so many other people, they had a big wedding planned (this one out of state) and like so many other people they had to change their plans. I was part of those new plans - a quick and beautiful wedding ceremony downtown Coeur d’Alene with a quick party on the dock before they went out on the lake for the rest of the day. No 250 people, no dancing, just a good time with some great friends - The theme for weddings in 2020. Chris and Sara are some pretty amazing people, and getting to be there on their wedding day was something I absolutely loved. I hope you love these photos from their unique day.
As a photographer, you get to be at some pretty amazing things. Beautiful elopements, incredible weddings, watching a couple go from getting engaged, to married, to having kids, then to having even more kids. I absolutely love watching life move forward and people grow, families change, and love make way to life. In this case, it is the beginning of the story. One day I got a phone call form a real person (yes, every once in a while a non-robot calls me still) and that person was Alex. He explained to me that he was going to be asking his girlfriend to marry him, and when he did, he was going to fly her whole family up to surprise her after he asked her. He wanted me there to capture her reaction. So while Alex was up on a cliff overlooking the lake, I got setup with the family at the house for the big surprise (and boy was she surprised!) It was a great moment, and I am so happy I got to be there for it. I’m pumped for these two.
Erik and Ali are two people I never had the privilege of meeting in person before their wedding. We got to do a couple zoom calls (although in this case, it was because they didn’t live near me) and we only were able to get to know each other a little bit. So fast forward to their wedding day, we walked into the Air Bnb where Ali was getting ready and we didn’t know much of what to expect. The family and bridal party could have been hard to talk to, quiet, or amazing. It didn't take long for us to realize that these people were awesome. They were easy to talk to, quick to joke around, and just plain fun. There is an energy around Erik and Ali that is magnetic, you can see it in their smiles, in the way they dance, or just how natural they are together. Their wedding was beautiful and fun, and I had so much fun getting to know them and so many of their guests. We left remembering many names and faces, and thinking about how much fun we had just had with an amazing group of people.
This amazing family of four started visiting Coeur d’Alene last year, and they realized something we’ve known for a long time - it’s a pretty amazing place. So when Christina asked me if I could photograph their family, and capture them in this beautiful place I was excited. Their two amazing kids were so easy to photograph, and the whole I loved their smiles and attitudes. I hope they continue to come and visit our beautiful town in the future.
I met JD and Kara a couple years ago at another wedding (Kara was the maid of honor). That wedding was a blast, and we had so much fun. So when Kara asked me to be at her wedding, I knew it was going to be a blast. Now, this summer isn’t quite what I expected (or anyone else) and so there were a lot of unknowns as we got closer and closer to July 4. But, true to their personalities, JD & Kara made something amazing happen. They had an incredible wedding, in an incredible place, with some truly amazing people - in the middle of a pandemic. The whole wedding was beautiful, touching, and filled with emotion and great moments. The fact I could be there, to capture it all, can only be thought of as a privilege. Now I get to share some of my favorite photos from this Big Sky wedding with you, and I hope you love them.
