Although Sara and Marty officially met through friends, their first solo date was at downtown Milwaukee’s Water Buffalo.
“Who would have ever thought that date would lead to today?” a friend of Sara’s asked while the girls pampered themselves with makeup applications just hours before Sara’s ceremony.
“Umm, I did,” Sara said without pause, looking off into the distance, daydreaming about the first date with her soon-to-be husband. I am going to marry this man, Sara thought as they sat across the table from one another. It was only the second time they had met.
“It was the same way for me when I met your dad,” Sara’s mom added, beaming from ear to ear.
Two weekends ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to document Sara and Marty’s wedding day — the day two ridiculously meant-to-be-together people promised each other forever.
Sara is the type of person you would be lucky to call a friend: Real, honest, funny and kind. When Marty looks at her … oh my goodness, it’s like watching a little boy realize his biggest dreams have come true. These two have a childlike, energetic and totally romantic passion toward each other — the kind of love that makes it hard to look away.
When I first met with Sara and Marty late last summer, Sara told me she would love to have photos taken at a secondary location, in between the ceremony and reception. The two took it upon themselves to obtain a photo permit at The Domes for an hour before their reception. Sara and Marty: For this, you are my heroes. As a future bride myself, I know all about the stresses and details that go into planning a wedding, but I can’t thank you enough for thinking of your photos, too. Churches and reception halls are far from ideal for wedding party photos, but a location with natural light and lots of color makes me super happy.
Marty was kind enough to scout out The Domes in the days before and find the perfect photo locations. And Sara’s awesome maid of honor (her sister) found us this beautiful waterfall …
I tore them away from each other just long enough to take a few solo shots.
This dip was professional, if I may say so myself.
The adorable little guy below (Mr. Ring Bearer) couldn’t quite bring himself to walk down the isle just yet! It’s OK little buddy, you have a few more years to be slightly afraid of wedding bells. 🙂
And after all that commotion, he found the perfect spot to sneak in a nap at the reception.
One of my favorite parts of the evening was when Sara’s father gave his toast. He told a story that literally brought tears to my eyes. You, too, deserve to hear it: When Sara was born, he said, there were a few complications with her birth; the umbilical cord was causing problems and her mother had a rather tough delivery. Shortly after Sara took her first breath, the doctors were tending to Sara’s mom, so Sara’s father took his little girl in his arms and went on a short walk down the hospital hallway. Just a few doors down, he found an empty room, where he sat with Sara and told her how her life would go: Soon, she would be in school, he said to her, and then she would go off to college. Eventually, she would meet a kind young man, who she would marry if her parents approved. As Sara’s dad talked with his new little baby, he suddenly heard the hospital’s alarms go off. Nurses and doctors were frantically running through the hallways. He stuck his head out the door and said, “What is wrong? What’s going on?” One of the nurses ran up to him and said, “A newborn has gone missing!! … But I think we just found her!” 🙂
I took the next photo at the end of Sara’s father/daughter dance. I think it’s incredibly sweet — it looks as if this hug could last a lifetime.
The last thing you need to know about Sara and Marty is … these two know how to dance. I promise you, the smile never left my face when their music started playing. I laughed out loud when I saw the next photo: First, Marty thinks he’s dancing with Sara but Sara’s actually dancing with her friend. Second, this move — The Marty Move — must be a family thing: You can see Marty’s brother (directly above his back) doing the exact same dance in the background. 🙂 (Sorry Marty, this is what happens when you hire a photographer … )
Thanks again, guys, for allowing me the opportunity to be with you on your special day. I wish you both a world of love and happiness.
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