Its been 5 years. Or at least it will be in July.
5 years since I stood in the mirror, eyes welled with tears, as a woman in a white dress and crystal embossed veil stared back. 5 years since I took 20 steps down a sandy aisle to the man of my dreams. My best friend. My hero.
Michael saved me. From the world. From myself. I am proud to love him and he is proud to love me, despite my many faults. 5 years ago, he changed my world as quickly as he BECAME my world.
5 years ago I said “I DO” and this July on the 25…exactly 5 years later, “I STILL DO!”
Our first wedding….if you have followed me and the birth of KNP… though beautiful in its own…”special” charm…it was NOT what I spent hours planning since the age of 7 with my barbie bride dolls. It was the farthest thing from a dream come true….and do not mean it in regards to the day not dripping in diamonds and silk napkins, etc. I simply mean we were young. Broke. Naive. We were in a rush to GROW up and actually BE grown up that the idea of “getting married” was more important than the notion of “being married”.
But as our parents taught us at a young age in what now plays in my mind like a broken record, “You live and you learn.”
We have lived. We have learned. And most of all….we have loved. We have both grown into these incredible roles…found ourselves…and created an amazing HOME and FAMILY along the way. My husband has been promoted, I have grasped my footing as a professional wedding photographer (still wild to admit that out-loud). We have 2 little boys that are the definition of perfection AND we are starting the plans for our home addition. Woah is right!
Somewhere in the midst of our crazy life, and I admit my profession is somewhat to ‘blame’ here, we discovered that we want to live a life that makes us happy…not a life based on what others THINK we should be doing. My profession allows me to capture these incredibly priceless moments that my clients will show their children, their grandchildren and then their great grandchildren God willing. I am responsible for capturing love, life and happiness that carries on for generations! At the time of my wedding, I was not able to process the gravity of that decision and I skimped on a photographer…and by skimped I mean I had one come for the ceremony ONLY and only 2 images were saved. TWO!
Not one image from my wedding day hangs in my house. Not one image rests safely in an album I can show my children one day. This leaves me feeling BROKEN inside. Literally devoid of happiness that those memories are not just flashes…flashes that grow more faint each day.
I don’t have one image with my grandfather walking me down the aisle. Not one with my mother. Not one with my sister. I do not have a photo I can share with my children and say “this was the happiest day of my life boys”….not one.
SO…..ready for this….we are going to change that!
OUR BIG SECRET REVEAL:
On JULY 25, 2014…only a few short months away…Michael and I will be renewing our vows the RIGHT way! Im talking a new dress…catholic priest, pretty invitations, amazing caterer, endless details, and most importantly…the most amazing photographer in the entire world will be there capturing priceless moments of us and our families that we will be able to share with MANY future generations to come…and her name is KATELYN JAMES.
I can’t believe I just typed that. Its been like a dream. Contacting her. Signing the contract. Sending over my “5 year piggy bank savings”…lol….it is still JUST a dream. Katelyn has been my mentor since day one…MOST of what I am today…who I am today in this industry….. is because of her! And don’t you doubt that for a moment Mrs. KJ! (I know you are reading this right now shaking your head and saying in your oh so adorb accent “ooooh girlllll….your crazy!” lol)
I am still trying to decide if I am more excited to get remarried to my Michael or IF I am more excited that KATELYN JAMES is MYYYYY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER!?!?!? Most of my friends and family know I have a sickness…an obsession….but what they DON’T know is whyyyy or HOW I could be this “crazy” over a “girl with a camera”.
So, allow me a moment to explain: She is NOT just a girl with a camera. She is NOT just my friend. She is not just some celebrity photographer. She is part of my family!!! I trust her with moments of my life I can never get back…the pictures she takes this day will make me smile…cry…and allow me to remember my loved ones when God calls them home to heaven. I trust her the way I can only pray and hope my clients trust me. So its not a matter of being obsessed over her work…its a matter of not having a shadow of a doubt that she will give me a gift I never had and can never put a value on: memories frozen in time, as opposed to withering flashes of a day.
This time it will be 100% perfect. No regrets. No, “I wish I did this…or that.” I am basically the luckiest girl in the world…I get to marry my best friend again…IN FRONT of our boys…with our true blue friends and with family that were not able to make the first one. This will be like a family reunion….vow renewal style. : )
Over the upcoming months I will be documenting my planning…my experiences on the OTHER side of the camera…the planning stages…everything. To some this may seem like the silliest idea in the world…but to us…celebrating our love all over again is one of the best ideas we have ever had. So, if you are interested to see how everything comes together, be sure to keep up with me here….Fridays will be “VOW RENEWAL” day….hoping to provide you with fun sneak peaks along the way and giving you some fun inside scoop before the start of every weekend.
Thank you for sharing in my excitement and joy. Thank you for being here reading this. And Katelyn…thank you…for gifting me with one of the best gifts in the world….your time…your talent…and my memories captured for generations to see. You are the BEST person I know and I cant wait to share this day with you, my family, my loved ones, my friends and MY Michael : )
Below is sneak peak # 1: My planning board for the wedding….blush pink and gold wedding, crush gold sequence meets rustic glam!!!! Above was part of our save the date….ADORBS right!?!?! : P
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