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Posted on May 14, 2012

I have seen alot of great weddings… beautiful, breathtaking, creative, amazing weddings. But until Kevin and Taryn’s wedding at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, I have never experienced the sense of connection and depth and meaningfulness that surpassed the “prettiness” of the wedding. Does that make sense?

When I think of this lovely couple, these are the words that immediately spring to mind: kind, genuine, true, committed, present, fun, simple, authentic. And all of these characteristics were present throughout their wedding day. Weddings can be known for being frantic, overwhelming, chaotic, and exhausting. We all have been to THOSE weddings. This one, however, was the antithesis of “that” wedding. It was calm, peaceful, simple, enjoyable, meaningful, and fun. The guests were not just bystanders waiting for the bar to open… they were part of the entire day, from ceremony to the rousing ending song on the dance floor. Kevin and Taryn chose meaningful decorations, elements of their ceremony and even their dessert choice at the reception had depth and meaning to it (will explain later). I can’t tell you how impressed I was over and over again throughout the day. THIS couple not only planned their wedding, but has been planning for  their marriage throughout the process. That is no small feat.

I felt extremely honored to have been the chosen photographer to document such a special and meaningful day! Kevin and Taryn, my sentiments towards you guys are no secret! I have truly, truly felt so blessed to have met the two of you and worked with you to capture such a monumental day in your lives. I have no doubt in my mind that you will have such a long and beautiful life together… making a difference in your world and blessing others with your kindness and authentic friendship. And yes, I am already looking forward to that post wedding coffee date with you guys!

 

The string and pouches used to make this “prayer circle” was created by Kevin’s mom and various other members of their families. Each pouch has something representing various family members that could not make it to the wedding… talk about making a generational heirloom!

Kevin’s father had passed away when he was younger, and he carried this photo of his mother and father in his coat pocket. He wanted to do something special with it on his own wedding day, so we re-created the pose his parents were in in the photo.

Instead of cake, Kevin and Taryn flew in many gallons of a special brand of ice cream from his family’s hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. His grandmother had once shipped him “their” ice cream on dry ice for a momentous occasion that she couldn’t make it to, so that their hometown could be represented. She has since passed away, and this dessert choice was made in her honor. See what I mean, folks?! Talk about meaningful and unforgettable elements.

Posted on October 16, 2010

What a joy it was to be able to document this super fun couple’s wedding. Sean is one of our good friends from college days at John Brown University in Arkansas. We (my husband and I) have had some fun adventures with Sean in years past (can you say road trip to Denmark and Sweden??!). Just about everyone at the wedding had had some “adventure” with Sean in years past. It was a blast to hear the stories and nearly cry laughing so hard. Ashley is a doll and seems to be Sean’s perfect mate, for sure… calm, steady, fun, simple, beautiful. Sean is an MK (missionary kid) from Zambia and his and Ashley’s heart is to return to Africa at some time to serve people there with their recently acquired medical expertise. Sean and Ashley are both doctors. Well, Sean graduated from med school a week before the wedding, and Ashley is well on her way in med school. Their plan is to return to Africa at some point in the near future to practice medicine there. In fact, instead of wedding favors, they donated the money that would have been spent on the favors to establish a scholarship fund for a group of kids they recently worked with in a remote village in Zambia. Yup, thats the caliber of couple they are. I am blessed to know such as these.

The wedding couldn’t have been more beautiful. Simple elegance. The fall colors on Lake Weddington were a perfect backdrop. Ashley and her family are incredibly creative and the colors, flowers, accessories all drew out the fall colors in God’s beautiful creation around them.

The wedding was also full of surprises. Planned surprises… from the choreographed (by a friend of the bride) dance the newly wed couple and the wedding party danced out of the ceremony, to the “interview” Sean’s brother recorded (unbeknownst to Sean) and played at the reception (think: two white boys speaking and acting out an “interview” in Zambian english about Sean finding himself a wife, his first trip to Victoria’s Secret etc.) and the grand finale of Sean “faking” car trouble in the get-away car only to surprise his lovely bride with a limo ride to the honeymoon instead.

What a blessing and privelege it was to be the photographer for Sean and Ashley. You guys are the best! I wish you the BEST and am so thrilled to see how God uses you both here and in Africa in the coming years to bless so many others. Hope our paths cross again either on this or that side of the Atlantic!

Instead of posting all of my favorite pics, I will direct you to their slideshow below, and also my Chelsea Hudson Photography Facebook Album of these “preview” images HERE. (if you want to comment or tag yourself in the photos, just “like” my photography fan page and then comment away! )

Posted on September 30, 2010

With the chaos of moving across the country this summer, a couple of blog posts got lost in the shuffle…. first up, Megan and James’ fabulous wedding!!

The images really do communicate all I could hope to, but I do have a couple of things to say. First of all, I was nearly moved to tears twice during their big day. Megan and Jamie agreed to have a “first look”  before the ceremony (thankyouthankyouthankyou, guys!). The anticipation was awesome. The excitement was raw and so present. And the moment that Megan walked into the chapel with Jamie’s back to her, she started crying. It was such a beautiful moment and so real and special. Their tenderness and love for one another is something to be admired and envied. My second “moment” was when Jamie’s brother, Casey, gave his toast at the reception. WOW. I have seen alot of siblings who are good friends, but these guys were soul mates. To see two brothers so connected and love and respect each other so much was one of the most moving things I have ever seen. So here’s to Megan and Jamie… may God richly and abundantly bless your life together!

The wedding took place at the Prayer Pavillion of Phoenix First Assembly church. The reception was at the Tempe Center for the Arts. A big thanks toScott Williams for his assistance as my second shooter! He did an excellent job, even braving the heat of the day taking pictures outside!!

Here are some of my favorites: