I have known Cathy for several years. She is someone who has always been so kind, thoughtful, and has a beautiful smile. I’ve had the privilege of knowing her daughter, and watching her grow up and become a mom. My incredible wife (Crystal) counts her as one of her closest friends, and comes home with stories and plans that she has with her. So when this friend of ours met Kelly Hughes (of the Kelly Hughes Band) and they started dating, I was excited. In both cases, these are two people who have gone through much in life, and to see them be happy, smiling, and enjoying each other was a huge blessing. On top of all that, when they asked me to photograph their wedding, a wedding that ended up being a wet, dark, but absolutely beautiful wedding I was so very excited to be involved. This wedding had it all, from beautiful people, great moments, lots of smiles, and some excellent company. I’m excited to share more from this one.

Christmas Family Photos with the Hockers

I only had the chance to meet the Hocker family the day we did their family shoot. We got lucky with no rain, and semi-warm weather. It was beautiful. That said, I had an absolute blast getting to know this family of five, more if you count grandma and gramps and the beautiful girlfriend who also came along. We had a lot of fun, with some great personality, and i’m excited to be able to share them with you.

Jake and Chelsea's Winter Engagement

They met years ago at church. Chelsea and Jake were introduced as two people who would be "best friends" - and that was true. They became best friends, did so many things together, from Sky Diving to watching movies. But they weren't together. In fact, they were "just friends" (in a very real sense) for years. Jake told me that it was several years in, after some complications in his life he started seeing Chelsea as more than a friend. He noticed how kind she was, how thoughtful, and how she treated his boys. But, because she was his best friend, he decided to not pursue it. This was true for over a year. Then one day, Chelsea realized that she loved Jake. It wasn't that he was just a friend, he was more than that to her.

Carson and Ali's Rainy December Engagement

Technically, they met in middle school - although neither of them really remembers it. If we want to start talking about when their friendship actually started to grow, it would be around their sophomore year of high school. They would have history and math together and would often sit near each other. They would talk and have fun. Ali remembers this time because Carson caught her eye - she thought he was cute.

Sean and Amanda's Christmas Wedding

Sean and Amanda had thought of so many things, one of which was Amanda’s dress - something she had wanted since she was a child. The colors were all brought together to match the dress and the day, and everything seemed to come together in such a great way. Look no further than the fact we had an actual sunset on a mid-December day. I really appreciate the kindness of them and their friends, and I had such a great time being there and capturing each of the moments. Here are some of my favorites!

Winter Engagement with Matt and Olivia

They met in elementary school. They weren't really friends, even though they went to a small school (think class sizes of 45, instead of 400). So they knew each other existed, but never talked. This was true until around Olivia's 7th grade year, when Matt started noticing her, and he decided to try and pursue her - something his cousin had been doing very unsuccessfully for a while. He would get her number, and they would start to talk. It wasn't a long time (but also notably, not a short time) before they would start to like each other.

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Brent Looyenga is a Spokane wedding photographer based IN SPOKANE WASHINGTON and Coeur d’Alene Idaho area. He loves people and specializes in wedding, engagement, family and senior photography. You can like Looyenga Photography on Facebook or follow them on Instagram.