I was stumbling into my inbox, as I do multiple times a day, and I see Katie’s name. My first reaction is to think that she’ll need to reschedule, which immediately bums me out. I had been dying to meet these two since they put all of their faith and trust in me when they hired me without an initial consultation (flattery at it’s peak, I tell you). I opened Katie’s email to find such a heartfelt paragraph – lending out condolences for the recent news we had gotten about my father, and the most sincere desire to reschedule.. not because they wanted to, but because they wanted me to have the proper time with my family, if that was something I felt was necessary. She didn’t want our session to get in the way of the heartache we were dealing with at home. That, ladies and gentleman, is the minute I knew I had two people with hearts of gold on my hands. And I was right.
I was quick to write her back, of course thanking her for even taking the time to sit down and write something so compassionate and selfless to someone she hadn’t even yet met. After giving it some thought, I didn’t pass on telling her that it had crossed my mind, rescheduling. But then I realized that what I do… being able to meet new people and create images focused around love and a genuine happy time, it helps to heal all things negative. It’s my “out” if you will. My escape from a reality that isn’t letting in as much light as I’d prefer, at the moment. It’s my healing mechanism when all else fails.
My time with Katie and Mike was exactly as I’d hoped. Easy, filled with laughter, and great conversation. These two are up for anything, and dove right into the process with such ease. They are so complimentary of one another, and their love is familiar and safe. Grounded and protected. The bond of college sweethearts bound together by a natural progression of love and commitment. When talking about their wedding day, the word they kept coming back to was “intimate” – and it’s a word I love so much but hear so infrequently. This word is on display with their interactions. He’s gentle with her, and she speaks sweetly to him. When I asked Mike about the proposal, he described wanting to keep it “intimate” because he knew that that’s what Katie would want – that’s what he wanted. This was a moment for them to cherish, together. When people ask for the story, they’ll exchange those playful looks of “you tell them, honey..” “No, you tell them!” A private moment only they can tell. A private moment they’ll forever get to re-live by the sake of their own memories. So when I asked him, his eyes lit up just a little, and he said “I super glued it to the Scrabble board, because I knew our cat would jump on the table and knock them all off.” (brilliant guy, no?) It was at home, just the two of them. Katie ready to trump him in a game of Scrabble. Mike ready to make her his wife.
Her answer was worth 6 points. But I think its safe to say there were no losers in this round. This, is a win-win scenario. Meet, Katie and Mike:
