Enjoy!

This was one of those weddings that just leave you feeling good inside. Where you leave knowing that there’s good in the world and people adding goodness around them. I have loved working with Lary and Kaitlyn from the very first email. They are salt of the earth kind of people. They love fully, they live their deep faith, they spread joy, and bring together amazing people. It was a delight to serve them and celebrate with them at the summer Cabins on Strawberry Hill Wedding. Not even thunder, lightning, and plenty of rain could dampen the joy.

Bride and Groom Details

Lary and Kaitlyn packed so much thought and meaning into their details. His ring, with the wood inlayed into the titanium, represented faith, growth, and strength. She wore her mother’s original wedding diamond as a necklace and Lary’s Mom’s original wedding ring to carry them both with her. She made her floral hair pieces by hand. It all was picked so carefully and came together so beautifully!

Bride and Groom Prep

To kick off the guys’ wedding preparations, they all met on one of the cabin porches for a whiskey toast with their custom glasses. This was their signal to all go start getting ready, which I thought was genius!

Once they were all cleaned up, Lary’s Groomsmen made sure his tie was snug, his shirt was straight, and we got the boutonniere all pinned on.

In a nearby cabin, Kaitlyn, her mom, and her bridal party all prepped together. Did you know that a bobby pin works much faster and easier than a crochet hook for getting those tight elastic hoops over the buttons? It’s a handy trick!

First Looks

I love that more and more couples are opting for special first moments with their parents. It’s a sweet time together before everyone shows up and is looking at them. They are some of my favorite moments to witness.

Father Daughter First Look

Mother Son First Look

Lary had prepared and brought a “Prenup” for Kaitlyn to sign. It was so cute! The document was full of their commitment to each other, their promises, inside jokes, agreements to assist future kids in blanket forts and hide & seek, and even special provisions outlined for The Grandparents. After the parent first looks, Lary gathered them together so they could hear the Grandparent Clause, allowing them to “reasonably” spoil the grandchildren, with a further provision stating that “reasonably” was left ambiguous on purpose.

The parents loved it. It was a cute and fun moment!

Bride and Groom First Look

The thunder was starting to rumble and a few stray rain drops were hitting here and there. We hesitated for just a minute…do we pull the bride out and set up for the first look and risk getting rained on and having to run in the middle of a sweet moment, or do we hold off? Lary told me, “Let’s stick to the plan. I just said a prayer and asked for 10 minutes.” So we dove into action, and they had the sweetest first look at the wood gate.

With the bridal party all nearby, we called them in for some group photos, and they came in fast, knowing the sky could open up at any moment.

We got a few group photos, and then right about 10 minutes after we started the First Look, the rain opened up and we had to retreat under the trees. I know…with thunder and lighting around trees aren’t safe either, but it wasn’t hitting close at that time, so we did what we could to salvage some time.

Finally the rain was blowing in under the trees and the lightning was getting close so we called it for safety and to keep dry and sent everyone inside. Mikaela, my second shooter, and I went and got my super cool and totally not nerdy big umbrella hats so we could keep getting gear taken care of and would be ready to go if the rain let up enough to even photograph on the porches.

While waiting for it to lighten up though, it was beautiful to stand at the ceremony site and watch the rain sweep across.

Ceremony at Cabins on Strawberry Hill

Eventually the rain let up and we were able to get the chairs all dried off and the guests were able to move in, just with a little delay in the timeline.

And then it was go time!

I loved that you could see the respect, love, hope, and faith in their faces as the two men shook hands. It was beautiful.

All through the ceremony I was keeping an eye on those clouds. Luckily they stayed back and the lightning wasn’t close. I kept trying to catch a shot with a lightning strike but wasn’t quite fast enough. It was a neat backdrop to the ceremony though!

During the wedding ceremony, the wedding party were invited to lay their hands on the shoulders of the couple, and the guests who wanted to participate were asked to join with a raised hand while they prayed over Lary and Kaitlyn.

And then, the final moment was here and they got to share their First Kiss as husband and wife!

Wedding Parties

Since we’d been run off by the rain earlier, we hadn’t had a chance to get photos of the bridal party or the groom’s party. These guys hung around during family photos and then we caught some great group shots in the beautiful interlude between storms.

Cocktail Hour

While I was working with the family photos and wedding party photos, Mikaela joined cocktail hour to capture decor, guests, and the celebration. This board with handwritten notes to each guest was the sweetest touch. This was the first time I’d seen this at a wedding and it really was special and made the guests feel extra loved and appreciated.

Bride and Groom Portraits at the Ceremony Site

Once we’d finished up with group photos, we were able to get photos of Lary and Kaitlyn in the soft light of the sun peeking between the clouds. So often the light is too harsh at this spot for couple’s photos at the arch right after the ceremony, but the storm gave us the perfect situation to grab those before we loaded up to head to the forest to finish their portraits.

After this shot we loaded the bride and groom into the venue’s transportation cart to head up in to the forest while the videographer and I hauled his tripods to the ramada before we met them in the forest. Just then the storm decided to come play again and the lightning was popping off super close. One of them we swear was right behind us, the flash and clash all hit at once. We booked it up to the ramada and called the bride and groom back down out of the woods. I’ll photograph with distant lightning, but not when it’s popping right around us. So instead the bride and groom joined cocktail hour early and we got the Grand Entrance going instead, just as it started to absolutely pour!

Grand Entrance and First Dance

One thing I love about working with easy going people, good vendors, and fabulous guests is how much easier it is to pivot when things happen that are beyond our control. Food tables were brought inside. Guests scootched their chairs to make room for cake tables. We changed lighting around to accommodate a grand entrance from the doorway so the wedding party didn’t stand in the rain. And I didn’t hear a single person grumbling. Everyone just did what was needed and kept celebrating. It was beautiful on so many levels.

It’s my favorite when a couple goes from their Grand Entrance into their First Dance. The energy is high, everyone is already gathered and paying attention, the light is beautiful, and in this case we had the backdrop of life giving rain coming to the area. Not long into the song the sun peeked under the cloud that was dumping it’s heavy rain load on us. I loved the light that gave us, but even more I loved the feeling of it all: a couple, fresh from promising to love each other through the ups and downs, joyfully dancing together during a rainstorm while the sun still fought to shine.

Right after the prayer was offered before the meal, a rainbow made it’s debut. I went and grabbed Lary and Kaitlyn and we stepped out for 2 minutes to get a picture. “I’ll get you back to dinner really quick, I just felt like this was significant.” And Lary replied, “We will always take God’s promise!”

As dinner wound down, the sun was hitting the far mountains and the rain had let up. Before the festivities began we ran up to the forest for one last set of photos as we hadn’t had a chance to get solo portraits of either of them yet. We were up there for only 6 minutes, but it was all we needed to finish off their official portraits for the day. The light was so beautiful, I was so glad we were able to grab these last shots for them!

And look what was greeting us back at the ramada when we came out of the forest. It was somehow subtle and absolutely stunning at the same time. Not the neon sunset that Arizona is known for, yet I think there was a broader range of colors with the yellows, peaches, oranges, purples, pinks, and blues. It was spectacular.

Summer Wedding at Cabins on Strawberry Hill: Reception

Once we had the bride and groom back in, toasts began. And they were so well done and heartfelt. Humor without being demeaning. Stories without being chapters long. Love and heart all the way. Well done.

And then it was time for the Father Daughter dance and the Mother Son dances.

Cake Cutting

The desserts were handmade by friends and family, and they were fabulous. Favorite cookies of the bride and groom, cake pops, and a cute little birch wood cake.

Elliott, the fabulous DJ and emcee, asked for the crowd to cheer if they wanted to see the bride and groom feed each other the cake the nice way, or the not so nice way. I loved their reaction, including the groom’s, to the “not so nice” option.

Lary made sure to stock up on Cake Pops, afraid that they’d all get eaten before they had a chance to have some themselves! Smart move!

Immediately following the cake the bride and groom had a photo dash with every guest, and then gathered everyone to the dance floor for one big group photo. I love this and hope it’s a tradition that sticks around for a long time!

And with that the dancing began!

Dancing was paused momentarily for the garter and bouquet tosses, but then resumed with the Dollar Dance.

To finish off the night each guest had the chance to pick a smore’s pack, complete with roasting stick and a packaged bag of smores ingredients. Such a cute idea!!

Lary and Kaitlyn, it was such a joyful honor to get to celebrate with you and to capture these memories for you. Your love for each other and for Christ was so clear in all your choices for the day and your interactions. I loved the line in the toasts, that you point each other to Christ, and it was beautifully evident to all of us there. You pivoted with grace when the rain hit, trusted all of us vendors to take care of you, and leaned on the love of your friends and family instead of stressing and getting upset. And the meaning packed into the day was so fun to discover, from your planned details even to how the weather worked. It was an absolutely beautiful day for an absolutely beautiful (inside and out) couple. Love you both to the moon and back!

Summer Wedding at Cabins on Strawberry Hill: Vendors & Creative Team

VENUE: The Cabins on Strawberry Hill
DJ: Impact DJ’s
OFFICIANT: Wade Hamstra
DRESS BOUTIQUE: J Bridal Boutique
HAIR AND MAKE UP: Bride and Bridesmaids
SUIT: Suhail at Apex Tailoring
BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES: David’s Bridal
FLORALS: DIY by the Bride
CAKE: Shelly Maher, family friend
CATERING: Tucked Away Craft Kitchen
PHOTOGRAPHER: Marquette LaRee with Mikaela Durfee as Second
VIDEOGRAPHER: John Houston Films
BARTENDER: Olive R Twist