Sarah and I met in our first quarter of our Masters program at the UW - I am typically the one to 'break ice' with people, but Sarah made the 'first move' with me.  She and I have been bffs ever since.  I got to meet Josh not too long after that and I have to say he is honestly one of the kindest human beings I've ever met.

Now, Sarah and Josh met in high school - I hear that they have been inseparable since.  So last Tuesday, I headed down to Lake Tahoe to photograph and share in their incredible day with family and friends.  I had heard so many things about Sarah & Josh's families - everyone was so sweet and inviting - I felt like part of the fam immediately.

We started off in the hotel where everyone was staying and getting ready - Sarah's best friend since childhood was there as well as her big sis (loved them!)  The boys were getting ready upstairs and by getting ready, I mean cocktails... :)  We then headed down to the lake/beach where I think the sky seemed like 3 shades bluer than back at the hotel - I love how Josh greeted Sarah and then greeted their baby that is on the way (yep, Sarah is 4+ mos pregnant!)



The ceremony was beautiful and bright!  Everyone milled around before and after listening to the violin and cello duo playing - it was such a lovely touch.  Sarah's bouquet had my favorite stargazer lilies - their spiciness in the fresh air was wonderful.  Their ceremony had beautiful sentiments from Kahlil Gibran and their kiss was so sweet - Sarah grabbed Josh right away and after the kiss was over, Josh looked like he was still in a 'kiss trance' - so awesome.  We took the family photos after their ceremony and then after everyone left, I got to catch a few shots of the couple being sweet to each other under the big pine tree.  Nothing touches me more than men that cry and it was so sweet to see his expression of love for Sarah through his tears. 



While everyone made their way over to the reception dinner, the couple and I headed back to the hotel for their wardrobe change.  Sarah went from bare feet and hair flowing to an awesome black dress with kick butt heels and a birdcage veil.  Josh rocked some jeans and Chucks and I slapped a 'baby on board' sticker on the bottom of Sarah's shoe just to honor that bump.  The restaurant was super cool, the food was yummy and we got to duck out right at sunset for a couple extra shots.  The speeches given were probably the most tear-jerking I've heard - they have all been family together for almost a decade already - this ceremony marks a new stage of their life together, but it is just an extension of the beautiful life they already have.

I was honored to be there - I love Sarah and Josh so much.  Congratulations you guys.



 

Lake Tahoe - Good.
Sarah & Josh - Great.

The story is so sweet - two kids meet in 5th grade....they rollerskated together...he gave her skittles and tootsie pops...she moved away...many years later he contacts her with a 'stab in the dark' type email...they reconnect...they fell in love.    Just over a week ago, Katie and Rob had a wonderful family and friend-filled wedding.  People came from all over the country; the east coast, the south.  There were so many little touches throughout the day that gave not only a nod to their childhood experiences, but also to the things that make each of them such a fun couple today - her love of coffee and a good 'hip hop' song; his keg in the corner and the 'bag toss' game at the end of the barn.  My day started with the girls at a nearby hotel - big fun getting ready and everyone chanting 'no rain' under our breaths (maybe that was just me!)...




Even though the skies were kind of gray, everyone's mood was so bright - what an incredibly fun wedding party!  Robbie's best men are the best kind of crazy and Katie's ladies were up for big fun (check out their dances moves later on!)  Katie planned so many fun '5th grade' touches - chalkboards for the party to write on and some old school skates.  The bright red barn at Pickering Farm provided such a great source of color against the skies and the gazebo lawn set up for their ceremony was just so pretty... 
 


After the family photos, there were only a few moments before all of their guests arrived.  The ceremony was so sweet - Robbie's expression as Katie came down the aisle was priceless.  Grandma Echo gave a reading and I think there were a lot of eyes welling up throughout the entire ceremony.  I loved Katie's face as they came back down the aisle together - pure joy!  There were lots of hugs (and a couple 'chest bumps') in a back room and then it was off to the party!