Hey everyone!  Happy 4th of July!

I was hoping to have this wedding up on the blog yesterday, but because Brett and Caitlyn are an unbelievably adorable couple, it was pretty much impossible.   Why?  Because we try to showcase some of our strongest wedding work on our blogs and with this wedding (with a lot of weddings lately), it’s been increasingly difficult to narrow down the featured images.

Brett & Caitlyn’s wedding was the best of all worlds.  There was love, laughter, tears, and lots and lots of dancing.  Their reception was so fun thanks to Dave from Synergetic, that at one point, even we got on the dance floor.   It’s hard shooting weddings and not dance, sometimes, you just need to release and let a good dance out.  With that comes funny pictures.  Most guests do not expect the photographer to dance a long with them.   Also, most guests do not expect the groom will take the photographers camera while the photographer is dancing and snap some shots.   However, both of those things happened on Saturday night.

A little background story on this sweet romance…Caitlyn’s dad had told the story during his toast.  Unfortunately, I’m not 100% sure on the exact details.  I was listening, but I was also crying behind my camera and I was concentrating on not breaking down with an unattractive cry, which include but are not limited to making sounds while crying, snorting while crying, runny nose while crying, you get the point.

Brett is in the air force ( a fighter pilot who fights for our country…how cool is that?).   He was away and had planned a romantic weekend a year or so ago at which time, he was going to propose to Caitlyn.  Caitlyn was hoping this would be the time he would propose, so it was an exciting time.  At that time, things were getting bad in Libya and just before Caitlyn flew to see Brett, he got word that he was being deployed to Libya shortly.  Long story short, they still got engaged, he broke the news of his deployment on the same weekend.   I can imagine that weekend was a roller coaster of emotions for both of them.   So while Brett was out protecting the world, or at the very least, our country, Caitlyn planned their wedding.

We first met Brett when he briefly came home in November.  At that time, we also shot their engagement pictures.  That was the first time we got to see them as a couple.  They were cute, fun, and sweet as a couple.  They are also the type of people you want to hang out with.  They make you laugh and make each other laugh.  Being able to make each other laugh is such a great quality to have in a relationship!

I could write much  more about this wedding, but, I know the real reason you’re here and it’s not because of my fantastic writing, lol.  If I were you, I’d be excited to see these pictures too!  If you’d like to see more images from their wedding, you can also check out their slideshow.

I must thank our associate Tom for coming along with us.  He did a great job and I’ll be pointing out on some of his best shots in this post.

Enjoy!

 

Before Caitlyn officially booked us, someone told me that she had a nightmare (brides past or present, you know all about those wedding nightmares).  Her nightmare was that she forgot to hire us for those “getting ready shots” and she was incredibly sad.  After that, she booked us and well I hope those nightmares are long gone or they should be because these are some of the strongest prep shots I’ve taken.  =)

I laugh after seeing the shots of every wedding.  How relaxed the guys always are and the things they do compared to the girls.  We’ve seen grooms playing pool, corn hole, video games, and now ping pong.

And this is the first we’ve seen a groom dance on a stripper pole.  I’m actually quite impressed.  What do they teach you in the air force?  I’m KIDDING!

Caitlyn seeing dad all suited up.

Stunning!

Brides to be.  I know how much you’ll try to fight the emotion because of the make-up.  There are tricks to not ruining it, so why not..let some emotion show 🙂  It can take a good image and make it so much more powerful.  Love these shots!

They’ve always written homemade cards to each other.  Their art work is astounding…I know.

{shot taken by Tom}

Dad seeing his daughter :’0)

Haha, how cute is this?

I’m always trying to capture a natural shot of the girls laughing.  In this series of bridesmaid shots, one of the bridesmaids said to another bridesmaid there was a spider on her (who is afraid of spiders).  The reaction is priceless! Every time I look at it, I laugh. I can’t begin to tell you how awesome these ladies are.  They were so fun to work with.  They were warm and inviting the moment I walked up to the house.   The entire wedding party was awesome.

Yep, this shot pretty much sums them up!

{zoolander shot on right taken by Tom}

Doesn’t she look a bit like Cameron Diaz and Kate Hudson?

{shot taken by Tom}

sweet moment, followed by…

followed by another sweet moment, lol.

The cutest father/daughter dance we’ve seen!

It’s about to get crazy!

Oh the amount of sweetness is killing me in this photo, haha.

We stole them for 10 minutes for some night shots.

{shot taken by Brett, the groom}  You’re hired!

I must say Caitlyn’s brother is the best dancer I’ve seen in a while.  I’m seriously thinking about paying him to teach Michael some dance moves!

So sweet!

Thank you Caitlyn and Brett for being so wonderful and having the most amazing family and friends!  Also, thank you Brett and fellow air force groomsmen for all you’ve done for our country.  Welcome home boys =0)

 

If you have a minute, leave some feedback for Brett & Caitlyn!

Happy 4th and stay safe!

Melissa.

 

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Wedding Details

Venue:  Holly Hedge Estate

Entertainment: Dave, Synergetic Sound & Lighting

Makeup: Jacqueline Marie

Photographers: M2