Oh, how I love this couple, let me count the ways.
Jon & Joan are the epitome of thoughtfulness and kindness. They adore each other and were completely in the moment and remained laid back throughout the course of their 16 hour wedding day with 600 guests. In the midst of HER wedding day Joan was constantly asking if we needed anything. I was completely blown away when she handed me and my team these:
Jon & Joan are the epitome of thoughtfulness and kindness. They adore each other and were completely in the moment and remained laid back throughout the course of their 16 hour wedding day with 600 guests. In the midst of HER wedding day Joan was constantly asking if we needed anything. I was completely blown away when she handed me and my team these:
Individual "survival kits" packed with snacks, drinks & other goodies WITH OUR NAMES EMBROIDERED ON THEM. Crazy. Note to my future brides reading this: please don't feel like you have to do this for us on your wedding days. But thank you Joan!! You are over the top sweet.
The day started with hair and make-up at the Arizona Biltmore:
The day started with hair and make-up at the Arizona Biltmore:
Joan just looked gorgeous all day long.
Jon's wedding day gift to Joan was an iPod with a playlist of songs he recorded for her. I love this shot Lizzie caught of Joan's dad and a family friend listening to it. It's kinda hard to tell from the photo but they are sharing the headphones :).
Getting the dress on was quite an ordeal and I got a lot of fun photos out of it.
Joan's maid of honor, Rebecca:
Joan's mom helped every step of the way.
LOVE these next two shots:
Jon and Joan saw each other for a first look, which I love, and Lizzie caught this awesome moment:
We spent some time shooting portraits around the Biltmore.
Couldn't decide between these three so I thought, why not? -- I'll blog them all.
Shot this one inside the lobby at f1.2, 1/80 sec., 1600 ISO. (Just thought you photographer-types would like to know :))
Jon was so cute. He kept whipping out his flip video camera at different points throughout the day to capture footage. He told me he didn't want the day to go by too quickly and he wanted to remember every moment. At one point I was shooting portraits of Joan by herself. I had her squatting down so I could get a head shot from above. Jon was behind me taping himself saying, "She looks...SO...beautiful." He turned the camera on her then turned it back on himself and said, "Although right now she kinda looks like a midget."
Another amazing shot of Joan...they just keep coming.
The ceremony took place at Valley View Bible Church in Phoenix. Here's the little ring bearers getting ready to do their job:
Love this shot I caught of one of the flower girls:
Joan's father walked her down the aisle:
The ceremony was packed full of meaning. The couple and all of the guests spent time singing worship music, which I loved. Love this shot Lizzie caught of a few of the guests:
Jon & Joan wrote their vows. They put so much of their personalities and their story into it. Here's a portion from Jon's vows:
"Honestly, I've known of my love for Joan for a pretty long time. But leading up to today, I've had a really difficult time trying to pinpoint the one moment in time when I knew I loved her. If I were being completely honest, it's been a series of moments that have transpired over our 'very long' 5-year dating relationship that have led me to this place of deep love. So I've come up with this list of conversations. It's through these conversations that I've realized my love for Joan.
The following are a few times that opened my eyes to love:
1. After I read your unopened card and saw the plastic rose (see their engagement shoot for an explanation of this)
2. After watching the Passion of the Christ and we talked for hours afterwards
3. When you made us pray for hours in the freezing cold to decide whether or not to start dating.
4. When we sat in my car and talked for hours outside of your apartment.
5. After you made me my first pot of chicken soup when I had a fever.
6. When we got stuck in Kansas City and ate at Waffle House at 3 in the morning. I remember thinking I could do that for the rest of my life.
7. After I proposed to you, and you nearly tackled me over.
I could go on forever...but what I'm trying to say is that I've never thought that love was something that happened in a moment. But I've always known it was a process. Joan, I tried really hard to pinpoint a moment in time when I knew I loved you...but the truth is that I've discovered love for you over 5 years. Through conversations, situations and circumstances we've been through...even the tough ones...I've been led to this place where I can say without a shadow of a doubt that 'I love you'."
"Honestly, I've known of my love for Joan for a pretty long time. But leading up to today, I've had a really difficult time trying to pinpoint the one moment in time when I knew I loved her. If I were being completely honest, it's been a series of moments that have transpired over our 'very long' 5-year dating relationship that have led me to this place of deep love. So I've come up with this list of conversations. It's through these conversations that I've realized my love for Joan.
The following are a few times that opened my eyes to love:
1. After I read your unopened card and saw the plastic rose (see their engagement shoot for an explanation of this)
2. After watching the Passion of the Christ and we talked for hours afterwards
3. When you made us pray for hours in the freezing cold to decide whether or not to start dating.
4. When we sat in my car and talked for hours outside of your apartment.
5. After you made me my first pot of chicken soup when I had a fever.
6. When we got stuck in Kansas City and ate at Waffle House at 3 in the morning. I remember thinking I could do that for the rest of my life.
7. After I proposed to you, and you nearly tackled me over.
I could go on forever...but what I'm trying to say is that I've never thought that love was something that happened in a moment. But I've always known it was a process. Joan, I tried really hard to pinpoint a moment in time when I knew I loved you...but the truth is that I've discovered love for you over 5 years. Through conversations, situations and circumstances we've been through...even the tough ones...I've been led to this place where I can say without a shadow of a doubt that 'I love you'."
And here is a portion from Joan's vows:
"I first noticed Jon (and many of the groomsmen standing behind him) because he was a chubby little boy that was way too old to be playing Pokemon. So it wasn't attraction that made me notice him, but almost confusion and a feeling of, 'Wow, I am so much cooler than these junior high boys.'
After the first notice of the chubby Pokemon boy, we slowly became friends since we were in the same Sunday school classes, children's musicals, and shared many of the same friends. We even dated for 6 months when I was 13 and he was 14. Following our junior high relationship, we didn't speak for a couple years....It was a bad break-up. Towards the middle of high school, we started becoming friends again and eventually best friends.
Throughout the last five and a half years, there have been countless moments when I knew for sure that Jon was the one for me...most of them in the simplest of times like late night conversations while he was driving me home, or when he slept in the library in a chair next to mine so I wouldn't have to be alone while staying up all night to study for an exam.
It wasn't a specific moment, but the evidence of the fruit of our friendship and relationship...how much we love each other's company, our patience for each other, how he pursues after my heart even though he knows he's already won it, how the sight of Jon would turn a bad day around, and the way we both try to pour into each other's hearts and out-give one another.
Since I was a little girl, I've wanted to marry my first love and prayed for my husband-to-be...that my husband would be passionate, smart, musically talented, a lover of God and people, and about a list of 40 other things. Today, the prayers and dreams of a little girl are being answered and fulfilled by a faithful God. Today, I marry my first love."
Jon gets the prize for the most passionate first kiss I've ever shot:
"I first noticed Jon (and many of the groomsmen standing behind him) because he was a chubby little boy that was way too old to be playing Pokemon. So it wasn't attraction that made me notice him, but almost confusion and a feeling of, 'Wow, I am so much cooler than these junior high boys.'
After the first notice of the chubby Pokemon boy, we slowly became friends since we were in the same Sunday school classes, children's musicals, and shared many of the same friends. We even dated for 6 months when I was 13 and he was 14. Following our junior high relationship, we didn't speak for a couple years....It was a bad break-up. Towards the middle of high school, we started becoming friends again and eventually best friends.
Throughout the last five and a half years, there have been countless moments when I knew for sure that Jon was the one for me...most of them in the simplest of times like late night conversations while he was driving me home, or when he slept in the library in a chair next to mine so I wouldn't have to be alone while staying up all night to study for an exam.
It wasn't a specific moment, but the evidence of the fruit of our friendship and relationship...how much we love each other's company, our patience for each other, how he pursues after my heart even though he knows he's already won it, how the sight of Jon would turn a bad day around, and the way we both try to pour into each other's hearts and out-give one another.
Since I was a little girl, I've wanted to marry my first love and prayed for my husband-to-be...that my husband would be passionate, smart, musically talented, a lover of God and people, and about a list of 40 other things. Today, the prayers and dreams of a little girl are being answered and fulfilled by a faithful God. Today, I marry my first love."
Jon gets the prize for the most passionate first kiss I've ever shot:
I love this moment between Joan and her mom after the ceremony:
After the large ceremony, Jon and Joan had another shorter ceremony just for their bridal party and immediate families. It was intimate and very special. This is the moment when the parents found out that the dads had been given roses during the large ceremony that were meant for the grandmas:
And a time of prayer:
The reception was back at the Biltmore. Here are some of the fabulous details.
Florist -- Greenleaf Wholesale
Cake -- Classic Cake and Confections
Linens -- Fabulous Linens
Florist -- Greenleaf Wholesale
Cake -- Classic Cake and Confections
Linens -- Fabulous Linens
They had two of the most amazing candy bars I've ever seen. The little to-go boxes on each table setting were for the guests to fill with their choice of treats to take home.
The first dance was danced to my favorite worship song -- "How He Loves" by the David Crowder Band. You can hear it by clicking on the slideshow link at the end of this post. I, of course, thought it was a fabulous choice :).
The father/daughter dance was so sweet and emotional:
SUCH a great wedding. There are so many other great photos I loved that I wasn't able to fit into this post. To see even more, click here to view the slideshow.
And don't forget the new feature on my blog! Click on the star under your favorite photos on this post to vote for them! You can see the winners by clicking on "blog favorites" under "portfolio" on the top navigation. Thanks!
And don't forget the new feature on my blog! Click on the star under your favorite photos on this post to vote for them! You can see the winners by clicking on "blog favorites" under "portfolio" on the top navigation. Thanks!
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