Seattle Road Trip

In the past couple months, Tim and I have driven over 5,000 miles together. The most recent leg of our travels was from Chicago, down through Colorado, up to Seattle. I haven’t driven across the western part of the United States since I was a child during one of our long family road trips, and I’d nearly forgotten how spectacular the scenery is. During each of those trips, I distinctly remember my dad telling my brother and I to set down our books or video games and look out the window at what was around us. We’d groan and put down whatever was in our hands only to be amazed at what was on the other side of the glass. I’m so thankful he did that – it’s given me a much deeper appreciation for the shape of the land and for the hand that created it.

On this trip, we drove down to Colorado to stay for a couple nights with our friends Zach and Janlee before heading toward Seattle. Nearly all of these photos were taken in Colorado, and I’ve decided that if Seattle doesn’t work out, I really wouldn’t mind moving there ;)

Janlee took this one for us :)

Ryan and Abby's Engagement

A few days before Tim and I left Wheaton, we did an impromptu engagement shoot with Ryan and Abby. Ryan was the very first person I met at Wheaton, when we started college as wide-eyed freshmen, ready for an adventure. He’s been a good friend to me throughout our four years, and I’m so excited to shoot his and Abby’s wedding in Colorado this coming June with Tim. Abby is a new friend and kindred creative soul who I’m excited to get to know even better. Abby studied in Australia this past semester, so I didn’t get a chance to meet her until the end of the summer. I was so excited for them to be engaged and I didn’t have a need for my bridal magazines anymore, so I gifted them all to her, happy to share the wealth :)

When couples get engaged at Wheaton, the tradition is to ring the bell at the top Blanchard Hall and write your names or leave a little trinket in the tower. When Ryan and Abby invited us to join them for their trip “Up the Tower,” we were quick to ask if we could shoot some photos for them beforehand. They arrived fully clad in Wheaton attire, perfect for an on-campus shoot! Ryan is leaving the Wheaton area for additional ROTC training in Georgia while Abby stays to finish up her senior year. We wanted Ryan to have some photos to carry with him as he went, since he and Abby won’t be seeing each other for a while. Ryan and Abby - our prayers are with the two of you while you’re apart, that you would only grow closer to each other and to the Lord as He prepares you for marriage.

Kevin and Sarah's Wedding

Kevin and Sarah are full of sincerity and honesty. When you speak with them, you know that they’re really with you, giving you all their attention. They are incredibly comfortable with one another and work hard to include their friends in their relationship. Although they graduated in the same class as Tim and I did from Wheaton, I wish we’d gotten to know them better during our time there. I feel so blessed to have been able to spend time with them leading up to, during, and after their wedding.

Tim and I were lucky enough to shoot our first wedding together for these two. Kevin and Sarah took time the morning of their wedding to spend with their friends, which I absolutely loved. The tradition for any bride on Wheaton’s Cross Country team is that all of the girls from the team join her for a run the morning of the wedding. I photographed Sarah’s run with her team as they arrived back on Wheaton’s campus. Meanwhile, in another part of town, Kevin and his guy friends were beginning a tennis tournament. Tim captured some great moments of both triumph and defeat throughout their morning.

I absolutely loved how much family history and stories were interwoven into Kevin and Sarah’s wedding day. The dress Sarah wore has been reworked several times to the one it is now. The dress originally belonged to Sarah’s grandmother. Her mother had the amazingly long train removed and wore it when she married Sarah’s father. When Sarah was a baby, parts of the train were made into a christening dress for her, and after the sleeves were removed and the dress reworked, Sarah wore it for her own wedding day…I wonder if the dress has one more wedding in it :)

Kevin and Sarah’s ceremony was well thought out and so full of symbolism – I appreciated how important that sacred space was to them. It was the first wedding I’d seen where three pastors tag-teamed the ceremony, one of them being Sarah’s father – something I highly approve of ;) After the wedding, the reception took place at The Oscar Swan Inn, a little oasis of beauty and country chic hidden within the suburbs. And I must say that Kevin and Sarah had the most epic first dance I’ve ever seen. The night was truly a celebration of what God has done in bringing the two of them together.

A full gallery is coming soon, come back for more!

The Rehearsal

The morning of the wedding

Wedding preparations

First Glance

The Ceremony

The Reception