“As we grow old may it be told that we never lost our flame. If love is a fire then our desire it to burn a whole tank. “ -Josh Garrels
THE tension between Ben and Charlotte, all the time, but especially on their wedding day can be described using these words: spicy, sexy, and steamy.
So if that helps you at all understand their first dance, or the kiss during the ceremony, or the portrait session. They are so incredibly in love with each other which is apparent not only through the physical but also their deeply connected hearts and minds.
Arizona offers a variety of venues and theirs was ON POINT! Filled with willow trees, windmill, and Italian looking stucco, I didn’t have a hard time finding places to photograph! This is my fourth wedding with this great group of friends in Flagstaff. The groomsmen were so use to my directions. BTW- they all love being in front of the camera, it’s hysterical. The girls, I mean just look at them, SO freaking beautiful. I couldn’t take a bad photo even if I tried at their wedding.
I really love it when couples don’t do a first look. The tension in the room is full of wonder, excitement, and celebration. When we invite our community into that place I think we are offering a human experience that is rare and honest. To see the grooms reaction as he sees his bride walk down the isle, to watch the father of the bride give his daughter away, and to see the space between two people be almost visible, doesn’t happen anywhere else. I think it’s an honor to be invited into that shared experience. That it was for Ben and Charlotte. I might have teared up a little bit when photographing. It’s always when the guy starts crying during his vows is when I tear up. I watch the parents face through my camera lens, which mind you no one other then the bridal party can see, and I loose it. Both sets of parents have prayed and thought about this moment in their child’s life. It’s as if you can feel the father’s happiness yet sadness of the reality that his little girl is no longer little. And the mother of the groom’s face holds all the years of doubt and unknowns for her sons future. It all gets tied up during the ceremony, with a wash of relief as the couple kisses and walks into the next stage of their life together.
