JENNA + SHANE // NEW JERSEY FAIRYTALE WEDDING // MID-ATLANTIC WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER // MOUNT LAUREL, NJ // PHILADELPHIA, PA // CHRISTIAN WEDDING CEREMONY
Jenna and Shane are two of my dearest friends and photographing their wedding was a doozy. Not just because of the flash flood warning in effect for Mount Laurel on their special day, but also because I was honored to be both photographer and bridesmaid. As they began getting ready to become man and wife and partake in a beautiful covenant with God, Jenna was getting ALL the curls done at the salon while Shane laughed the nerves away playing some football with his main men. When I arrived at his house to photograph him getting ready, his mom had placed Blessed Mother statues in the window to ward off the rain. Well....God had other plans, and it started to sprinkle while the boys were outside. Meanwhile, Jenna's hair had been finished and she headed back to her house to get dressed with her mom and dad.
As I walked into Jenna's house I was greeted by a barrage of wagging golden fur coming from Miley and Brody, her two golden retrievers. As she put her dress on and her mother carefully buttoned the back of her dress, her face lit up with the biggest and most genuine smile I think I have ever seen a bride have -- that is, until she walked down the aisle and saw her groom.
The rain began to pour as the entry music began to play, but even the rain could not stop them from having a perfect day. As Jenna entered the aisle and started walking towards Shane you could see every emotion streak across his face. She was beaming as she walked beside her father, and Shane was holding back tears that eventually fell as the love of his life became his bride.
Their ceremony was not just an exchange of promises or cute and funny words -- it was a worship service. They used their time to love one another, to love others, and to love God. They professed their faith and used it as a time and example of praise.
I feel so blessed to have friends that even in the midst of a literal storm that could have ruined any bride's dream of a 'perfect' wedding, they praised God in the storm and danced the night away as man and wife.
I am so grateful to call you guys friends. Your attitudes and your wedding was a testament to your character and the strength of the bond that you guys have formed and will grow. I love you both so so much.
Katie