One day I get a brief email from someone in the UK inquiring about wedding photos. As photographers, we get a lot of spam. Emails, texts, comments, DM’s, you name it. I was highly skeptical and let it go. A few hours later it was still nagging me. It didn’t feel like a typical spam. She had perfect grammar for one. Cautiously, I sent a reply email and was pleasantly surprised when she replied. The more things just fell into place and the more they just fit, I was so glad I had trusted my gut instinct.
Mark and Helen has visited Idaho on a chiropractor retreat a few years ago. With a little time on their hands, they took a little jaunt from Eagle to Stanley Idaho and truly fell in love with the area. So much so that they returned the next year for vacation.
When they were planning their dream wedding absolutely no location would do but Redfish lake. So began the planning.
We met up with them the first time at Redfish Lodge the evening before their wedding. I’m not kidding, within 5 minutes it felt like we had all been friends our whole lives. 7 people in total came with the bride and groom to celebrate (two were little sneaks and surprised them state side). I have never laughed so hard. My sides were killing me for days. The conversation and the drinks flowed smoothly all evening.
Communication was a hoot. Certain words mean different things and I was usually the end of those jokes, which was just fine as it was all in good fun. Someone proclaimed they were “pissed”. I immediately got worried and asked if I had said or done something wrong. Nope, in the UK that is drunk, not mad.
The next day we met for the ceremony. They had put so much thought into every little detail. The brides love of all things feathers showed beautifully in her jewelry. The groom carried a pocket watch that had belonged to his brother. Inside they had customized it with a small map of the Stanley area. The bride had a Levi jacket she wore painted with Idaho symbols such as the Sawtooth mountains, huckleberries, syringa, and two blue jays in love. The date in the bottom right corner read 05.10.18. Another dorky Jean moment in the making “Helen, did they get your date wrong?” Nope, that’s how they write dates in the UK.
As our day ended, we had an experience of a lifetime. It was an epic time and will be lasting memories and friendships for the rest of our lives. I took so many photos that beautiful day. Here are a few of my favorites.
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