Married: Ben & Sophia

I'll begin this to say that I am not the most emotional of women. In fact, I can be downright robotic at times. But sometimes the love that I capture is so genuine, so sacrificial and so unwavering that I am totally caught up in it and get lost in the beauty of a celebration. Ben and Sophia's wedding was definitely one of those days. Their fierce care for each other spills out for the world to see, and challenges those around them to pursue our own spouses wholeheartedly.

In addition to the guts of the wedding being beautiful, the external beauty of the day was also radiant. Deep navy and soft grey were their colors, which played off the foresty greens of the gardens just perfectly. There were also little hints of the couple's diverse interests hidden throughout their details. The table names were all planets from the Star Wars universe - going back to Ben's love for sci-fi - and the ceremony programs came accompanied with folding Spanish fans for the guests - going back to Sophia's cultural roots.

This wedding also was close to my heart because Sophia is my sister's best friend. Getting to witness their friendship throughout the day, as well as my sister's emotion toward to whole celebration, made my heart swell and had me fist pumping at the culmination of their ceremony!

Above all, Ben and Sophia's love for Jesus was center stage of their celebration, and I am sure that if He remains center stage in their marriage, their union will be more than successful. Congratulations to these two amazing people - continue to fight the good fight for and with each other!!

Venue: Evergreen Gardens || Coordinator: Alicia Adams || Gown: Jenny Yoo || Hair: _______ || Makeup: _________ || Florist: Triple Wren Farms || Catering: Barb Groen & Bill Maier (friends of couple) || Bakery: Safeway || Menswear: JCPenny || DJ: Audio Innovations

Renewed: Richard & Kristina

This day represents why I do what I do. This celebration, rich with purpose, emotion, beauty and life, lights a fire in my creative heart and brought a soul-weighty responsibility to every frame I worked over. This day was about reconciliation. About redemption. About life-altering, all-encompassing LOVE. I wish there was a better word for the commitment expressed here... perhaps you can figure out what that word should be when scrolling through these pictures.

Kristina and Ricky are beloved friends of mine, and I bore witness to the deep valleys that brought them to this day. The sheer fact that they chose to soldier through the pain, instead of run away from it, is awe-inspiring. But the fact that they emerged from the other side with an even deeper sense of trust, care and tenderness for one another?! There is no human expression to accurately describe that, but GRACE. The pure, unmerited favor of God is clearly entangled in this love story, and it was nothing short of miraculous to watch it all unfold.

So, this day. Kristina and I spent hours planning every last detail, and of course it all came out beautifully. But what shone through, past the romantic florals and soft pastel tones, past the moody candlelight and wispy fabrics, was the incredible display of God's goodness and fierce love for this marriage. Kristina and Ricky - surrounded by their family and friends, who loved them through the mess, and stood up for their marriage in seasons of despair - were able to proclaim Holy Victory over a covenant that was so very close to destruction.

What absolute beauty. A picture of heaven on earth. A physical representation of us being reunited to God, despite our earthly sin and rebellion. He desires us and wants us, even though we wound him deeply. Christ covers all.

And on this day, Christ truly covered all.