We're not sure where to begin as we try to lace together words to match the powerful day that was Lydia & Jon's wedding. Their wedding day was not only a celebration of an all-consuming love, but also a celebration of life and family!
When Lydia & Jon announced their engagement, we have to admit, we did a little bit of a 'happy dance' in the hopes they might think of us to document their wedding celebration. When they did, we were over the moon excited! We planned a Skype date to talk about their hopes for their wedding photos and hear what type of Door County, WI wedding they were planning! Shortly before our Skype date, Lydia emailed to let us know they recently decided to have TWO weddings instead of one! As we continued to read, we discovered that Jon's Dad, Paul, had been battling cancer and, as of very recently, things were not going as they would hope. It was Jon's wish that his Dad would see him marry the woman of his dreams – the woman who he would spend the rest of his life with.
We quickly found ourselves in the air to Boston, almost in disbelief that Lydia & Jon's wedding was just days away. We made the most of our few days in the area before their wedding and, on August 8th, we woke up feeling distinctly honored to capture the incredible day that was ahead of us. Nothing could have prepared us for the emotion we witnessed on this very special day. It was written on everyones faces. Joy. Sadness. Love. Jon brought his dad up the aisle moments before his soon-to-be wife made the same walk with her Dad, and it was as if every emotion was pouring out of his face. Lydia's Dad, Cory, is a Pastor in Door County and his words & wishes couldn't have been more perfect a he gave his daughter away to Jon. This was one of the many personal touches that made Lydia & Jon's wedding so heartfelt and unique to the two of them.
In just a few short months Lydia & Jon planned a day filled with so much thought, you'd think they had been planning for a year! To touch on a few, Lydia's gorgeous dress was custom-made from the same satin that both her Grandmother and her Mom, Darla, wore on their wedding days. The absolutely stunning veil that wrapped Lydia up belonged to Jon's Mom, Kathy. We honestly couldn't get over what a STUNNING bride Lydia was!! Her & Jon's wedding was also made possible by the talent of many family members like the music played during their ceremony and sweet cookie favors awaiting each guest at their dinner table. :)
After lovely words from Cory, Lydia and Jon were ready to share their hand-written vows. Lydia's vows were several pages long and, though she wanted to hold Jon's hand, she also needed one hand to hold the vows and the other to flip through the pages. As if they weren't a cute enough couple already, Jon made this possible by flipping pages for Lydia so that he could hold her hand too! Though very small, this little detail speaks volumes to the "team" that they are.
After portraits in the most romantic evening light followed by especially emotional first dances, Lydia & Jon had a surprise for Paul & Kathy, Jon's parents, during the anniversary dance. They played his parents' wedding song and, as Paul got up to dance with his wife, there were very few dry eyes in the room. This entire day was a beautiful example of the kind of love we all hope for, both from our family members and the person we choose to spend the rest of our lives with.
Lydia and Jon, we honestly cannot thank you enough for choosing us to capture such precious moments with the ones you love!!
Love, Kelsy & Butch
All images captured with Contax 645, Pentax 67 and D800 on Fuji 400H, Tri-X 400, and Delta 3200.
