Jane & Brian || Wedding

Here is the debut of my filming and editing of a wedding video. My sister, Clara, and I were asked by Brian and Jane to do their wedding video. It has its imperfections. We didn't have a steady-cam so it's not super professional looking. I had no experience prior! Brian, for some crazy divine reason, believed in our abilities and trusted us with his day. Honestly I was moreso joking when I offered but he was serious on accepting it. *Note to self: Never jokingly offer your amateur services.... it will lead to craziness!*

It was definitely an experience I've never had before. Not only did we film their wedding, we also were involved with the wedding preparations the day before since we were early. I've never helped out at a wedding before so I didn't know what to expect. All I know is that I don't even want to pinterest-plan my wedding anymore because there's SO much to do. I couldn't believe all the things that had to get done and how many people it took to make sure this day went smoothly and perfect. 

Jane & Brian's wedding and story is beautiful. Right from the beginning to the end there was so much joy and love. Two nights before the wedding we were up until 3am working on random little decorations and it was pretty amazing to see how calm they were. They were always calm even when things couldn't be found, or we had to do more errands than planned. It made me calm and I think it made everyone else calm. You could see how loved these two were by how many people were willing to help out. Even Brian's groomsmen were working on the table decorations. 

This wedding showed me how much a marriage is NOT just about two people. I really honor and respect Jane for her trust in the Lord. Long story short, Jane and Brian met on a blinddate a few weeks before he was going back to Korea. The second time they met was in Korea, the third time they met was when they got engaged! She told us that more than trusting Brian, she trusted the Lord and she trusted the community he came from. She saw that he came from a healthy, loving community that displayed the essence of a true family. She had nothing to worry about even though she was literally leaving everything behind in America. Crazy, eh? Love really takes crazy risks.

We worked with the amazing Tanya and her intern Elle. It was SUCH an honor to work with someone so professional and so confident in her skills. Being in her presence and working made our day a lot calmer than we anticipated. Check out her amazing photos of the day!

tanya kay photo

tanya kay photo

To be honest, it's kind of terrifying to do something like this while waiting in anticipation to see how people react. It's a pretty vulnerable place to show your piece of work with the world and hear NOTHING. Silence is more devastating than constructive criticism, so please be kind to me today :)

my first time || my life

Ask me what I did this weekend! I've got a lot to share with you.

On Friday my sister, my friend Albert and I photographed Albert's sister's wedding. It was intense and my first time EVER doing a wedding. A lot of people on the internet say that if you've NEVER done it, don't do it without being a second photographer. Well, we're rebels and ignored professional advice and went ahead and OWNED it. Above is a sneak preview of what we shot, but we'll have more up later. I was nervous but once the day got really busy I just got into my photographer zone and did what I could. The bride, Sarah, was incredibly chill and knew how to affirm us as we went about doing our job. She wasn't demanding AT ALL and would squeal with excitement when we showed her sneak previews. Having a really laid back and stress-free bride helps. Plus working with my sister and best friend made it a lot more fun and relaxed. We prayed and encouraged each other throughout the day which helped when things didn't seem to go right. This may not be the last wedding I shoot, but who knows when the three of us will ever do it again. Unless people really like our photos and there's some sick demand for us.... ;)

Saturday, we woke up early and drove a few hours south of Toledo toward Dayton and decided it'd be fun if we spent our Saturday jumping out of a plane. Skydiving is more like falling out of a plane, but still amazing. I can't describe to you how cool skydiving was. I was pretty nervous and out of it before, but as I started to get my harness on excitement started to build up. It's crazy. The most terrifying thing for me was seeing my friend Adam suddenly disappear from the plane. It all happened so fast. First he was sitting in front of me, then suddenly he's moving forward and then the next second he's out the door. It's wild. Then I had to move up and there I was sitting on the edge of the plane with my feet dangling while I was almost 10,000 ft high. My instructor counted down, "3,2,1" and I naturally just fell forward out of the plane. 30 seconds of free falling was unbelievable. I kept screaming, "Oh my God... no way... no way!" My favorite part was after I pulled the parachute and floated down in complete silence. There's nothing like being up in the sky 5,000 ft without any white noise. Pure silence. I loved it. 

This was an amazing weekend of doing things for the very first time... definitely won't be the last! More pictures to come.

mark + elysabeth || wedding

Beautiful pictures, eh? Most of them were taken by my lovely sister Clara with her Canon and handy 50mm. But you had to be at the wedding to really catch all of it's beauty and magic.

Not only was it full of amazing DIY decorations but every word spoken and every hug was soaked with sincerity. As soon as you arrived at the house you could see how much work and time was put into the wedding. The food was AMAZING with barbecued ribs, chicken and lot's of veggies. Plus, there was no cake but instead peach cobbler and apple pie with vanilla ice cream. We were fortunate enough to have had breakfast with them two days earlier so we could catch up, talk about life, laugh and eat good food. What I loved most about this wedding was their love for their family and friends. They were so approachable and made sure to talk to everyone that came up to them.

Their wedding was so unique and captured the personalities of both Mark and Lys. The pastor shared the essence of marriage and how marriage is THE GOSPEL. In one of the pictures above you can see Elysabeth talking to Mark's parents and thanking them for raising Mark. There was so much honor flowing in that backyard I don't think anyone's eyes were dry. Life really does flow through honor. Then they did communion and they played Set a Fire by United Pursuit Band & Will Reagan. The speeches by Mark's brothers and Jamie, the maid of honor, were powerful. It is an honor and blessing to be a part of this couple's life.

What I always loved about Mark and Lys was how comfortable they made me feel around them. I never felt like a third wheel. Near the latter half of my time in Korea I spent a lot of time with them and am so grateful that I did. There are some couples where I feel like a third wheel but not with these guys. They love as one but they love as individuals too. When I met both Mark and Lys' moms they already knew about me. Mark and Lys really know how to make you feel significant and valuable.

I honor and bless both you Mark and Lys! I'm so excited for what's in store for your life as ONE. Dream big and DO BIG!

day 4 - they got married

{practice project. day 4 - caleb and mina got married}

Mina and Caleb. It was such a hectic, busy and beautiful wedding but I didn't get an actual picture with the couple. So this is all I got. They've both spoken into my life in strange but divine ways. I'm really thankful for them.