I could see the alter from the car window and I couldn’t believe in a few minutes I would be walking down the isle. All my nerves were at an all time high and I literally had you scream to get them all out. I was so ready to marry Josh I couldn’t wait! If there is a word for beyond excited and nervous then that is the word, I would use to describe how I felt. We pull up to the field and I could hardly believe it was all happening. All our hard work and effort to make the Ceremony paid off and everything looked better than I imaged. The music started, and my sisters and best friends walked down the isle. My dad gently took my arm looked at me and said, “here we go,” I took a deep breath and stepped out.

It was May 31st, 2014. I woke up to and immediately open the curtains to see if there were rain clouds and there were none! We had planned a outdoor ceremony and really had no back up plan if it was rainy. I met my girls at Zacks Coffee in Kamloops before our appointments started and got a coffee and relaxed. After hair and make up was done we drove back to my maid of honor house to get ready for one of the best parts, putting on my dress. I honestly was so in love with my dress and still am. I never got that whole, you know it the one until I found my dress! It was the third one I tried on, that was easy! I felt like a princess in my dress; every little girl’s dream. I was so excited to see josh’s reaction; would he cry, or just smile or cover his mouth? I was ready to make the trek out to Pritchard from Kamloops and see my groom. My dad came and picked me up and loaded me, and my dress into the car. I’ll never forget that half hour drive I had with him before getting married. We talked about all sorts of things and really just enjoyed being together before I became a wife.

The ceremony was in a field that over looked the valley in Pritchard, a place the I spent a few fond years of my childhood. We by chance met some amazing people that offered their land for us to use for our ceremony. Josh and I love the outdoors and wanted that to be a part of our wedding, the location could not have been more perfect for us. We spent the day prior setting everything up and it happened to torrential down pour on our rehearsal so that why I was so worried in the morning. I was also told that they had to chase cows out of the ceremony area when they got there on the day of the wedding. I can just see josh and the groomsmen chasing cows all dressed up haha. Our ceremony was completely Pinterest worthy and was fully DIY.  Josh and I wanted to save money in specific areas so that we could spend money on the more important things, photography being one. I was so happy with how it all turned out. It was so perfect when I arrived it felt like I was in a dream, looking at how beautiful everything turned out. When I walked down the isle Josh was in full tears. I wish we would have done a first look so that that I could have herd his thoughts the first time he saw me, but I still loved how we did it. For our ceremony we decided to do traditional vows on mic and then we washed each others’ feet and said or personal vows off mic. We also asked for both our grandparents to pray for us and bless our marriage. Once we were pronounced husband and wife, we danced down the isle! One of my favorite images that our photographer took was minutes after we were married. This is now one of my favorite moments to capture too.

We held the reception at the Colombo lodge and once again I was blown away with how everything turned out! I loved how the decorations set the atmosphere for the evening! Our reception wasn’t as planned as the ceremony but was still a good time! It was nice to finally see all my friends and family and connect with them after the, OMG we just got married jitters calmed down. I loved being surround by those who would watch Josh and I grow as a couple and a family. The speeches were again, one of those moment I will always hold and cherish. My made of honor surprised me with her speech being sung to the tune of Call Me Maybe. Lots of laughs and a few tears. I love this part of weddings too because you can see how much love and support everyone has for a couple and how it is so much more than just their love that has gotten them to where they are. One of the funny moments at the ceremony was that I threw my bouquet perfectly into the decoration hanging from the ceiling, so no one go the bouquet that evening. After amazing food and unreal cake and cupcakes we all went to the dance floor and danced for quite a while. There was a dance circle as well as a conga line at one point! All these moments of fun and laughter were captured by our amazing photographer, Clara Cecelia Photography. I am so glad we decided to pay a little bit more for photography because it brings all those memories back to life for us. I have yet to make an album but really want to so that my kids can flip through it and see where it all began.

It is crazy to think it has almost been 5 years with the love of my life. We still love adventuring through life together and growing our family. So much change and growth in such a short period of time! We have flipped one house, working on reno-ing another, have 2 very lovable children, and a plot of land ready for us to build our forever home on. Our story is just beginning, so stayed tuned for this wild ride, there is so much more to come!

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It is my top priority to serve clients well and give them all the custom experience. I want to make sure that the “shoe fits” and that means I only take a limited number of weddings and portrait sessions a year. I am so excited to hear from you! If you would prefer to email me directly please feel free: hopelinzeephotography@gmail.com