Mr. & Mrs. Swank - 06.25.20
Caleb and Abby booked us back in 2019 to photograph their June 2020 wedding. Little did they know that 2020 would bring a slew of events that would eventually lead them into choosing to have an intimate Colorado wedding.
Before we show the details of their incredible mountaintop wedding, let’s take it back a bit. We shot Caleb and Abby’s engagement session around Wichita, at a few of their favorite places. They were really worried for this session, because they said they felt awkward in front of a camera. We actually love it when people say things like this to us, because we really strive to not only make our couples feel comfortable in front of the camera, but to actually see they can ENJOY their engagement session! We know a lot of other photographers may not love these sessions, or exclude them altogether, but we love the engagement session. We’ve found that it gives our couples an opportunity to ease into being in front of the camera. They also get to see not only our shooting style, but what it’s like to work side by side with the two of us together, so by the time the wedding day rolls around, everybody knows exactly what to expect. There is no confusion, no discomfort, and we get to capture genuine, raw emotion on the wedding day.
When Caleb called us to let us know they were changing all of their plans for their Wichita wedding because of the plan-ruining COVID situation, we totally jumped on board for their intimate ceremony in Colorado (who’s going to say no to the mountains?!) We were so excited they weren’t letting COVID demolish their hopes and dreams for getting married in 2020, and we absolutely loved the idea of a smaller, more personal mountain wedding. We transferred the items in their original wedding package into two days of coverage - their ceremony in Colorado, then their larger Wichita reception next year. We’ve had a lot of couples do this because they don’t want anything to stop them from publicly declaring their love - even if it’s a small public gathering of 15 people or less.
We traveled to Grand Lake, Colorado, and stood in awe of the view they’d chosen for their ceremony. The peaks of the mountains stood tall above the clouds, and the storm clouds DELIVERED. We were able to grab some epic sky shots… 5 minutes before it started hailing!
They exchanged vows in front of their closest family and friends, overlooking Grand Lake. It was seriously one of the most peaceful ceremonies we’ve ever been a part of.
If you couldn’t already tell from their engagement session, Caleb and Abby are the SWEETEST together. They’re both kind of quiet and reserved, but you can tell their love for each other is LOUD. It was effortless photographing them on their wedding day - you’d never know that this wasn’t their original plan.
Since Caleb and Abby invited us to Colorado after cancelling their Wichita wedding, we decided we’d gift them a little something if they were up to it. We asked if they’d be willing to get into their wedding day attire again, and follow us an hour out of the way to get some real Colorado shots. Thank God they were up for it, and we piled in our cars, raced the sun, and captured the true essence of a mountain marriage.
What have we learned from all of this? Other than the fact that the mountains are ALWAYS a good idea?
2020 meant the party of the century for some of our clients. For others, it meant FINALLY getting to express your love in front of hundred of guests. For most, however, it seemed like their big day would never get here. We’ve learned that you should “embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won’t have titles until much later.”
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