Nostalgic Perfection: Emilie & Ethan, Part 2, The Wedding Day

Following their incredible engagement session on one of the hottest days of the summer, Ethan and Emilie were married on one of the coldest days of the season (so far).  I did not think it could get much better than their sweet affection, nostalgic memorabilia, records, and swing dancing- but throw a wedding into that mix and it again hit a sweet spot for me. 

I missed my dance partner dearly as Ethan looked intently at his bride and kissed her hand or randomly swung her about any imaginary dance floor- be it the moment after they were wed, in a nearby field during photos, or on the real dance floor.  How many moments early in my relationship with Brian would I look to my left or right and see Brian gently smiling at me as he danced out the steps to the Charleston. But enough about him (how I love him so), this was their day, and I have more than enough pictures to share- I could not narrow them down. Their day was simply filled with too many perfect moments to ignore.

 
 

I love this moment with Ethan craning his neck to see his bride for the first time and then- there she is!

 

This was one of the most touching moments for me in the whole day.  I recalled the moment my dad entrusted my care into Brian's hands as Emilie's father spoke similar sentiments to Ethan.  Ethan sincerely took in each word of instruction for caring for their daughter and knowing that she is God's.

 

The real first dance...merely seconds after exiting the ceremony!

 

 

Off to the park...

 

I have to give Casey full credit for this one- she envisioned this and the location worked perfectly! I have several versions of this image with Ethan leading Emilie, but this one, which is actually kind of blurry was among my favorites because of it's faded painterly quality.  The texture just gets me.

 The reception was at this awesome venue- The Lincoln Depot- which completely fits these two. So many awesome details- and if I weren't already posting so much you'd see a ton of that, too!

 

While recreating one of their favorite paintings, Casey captured this from the other side.  Can't get enough of this one!

I loved this candid snippet the moment I saw it...

Classy black and white themed candy-bar.

 

 

 Yep, we did this! Casey- thanks for inspiration!

Twins!

When my son was born, he spent time in the NICU, not as long as some, only about a week, but still it was a time full of emotion, exhaustion, and new experiences.  I am so thankful for the images that I took that first week, that even thinking about them sometimes has me teary.  We knew from the get-go that a child for us would be a potentially risky route, but felt God's assurance that if we had a baby, he'd protect him and keep him healthy.  He's a good God and we've been so thankful to see such a risky-baby turn into a risk-taking child.  That time he spent in the hospital was time we had to trust God- it was a really special time.

We know those first days are hard, especially after bed rest or if the babies are in the NICU, so we have our Bedrest Babies program which gains me the overwhelming honor peeking in on new little ones in their first days.

These twins are beautiful! You'll have to check back in soon to see their newborn session after they are home from the hospital.

 Love the glance through the hole of her incubator...

 Lookin' at momma.

 All bundled up and (trying to stay) warm.