Beyond the sea: First look

As we rounded the corner to the straightaway to the house, we could see the gents milling about on the lawn. Butterflies! They gathered in the back as we pulled into the driveway.

(Since some of y’all were wondering in the comments on my last post, Tanja did not spend any time with the guys while they got ready — John’s preference and time/distance constraints — so she headed over to the house early to do portraits with them while the girls finished up makeup!)

Handsome man! Apparently Seth was crucial for both bow tie tying and boutonniere pinning.

All are best friends from high school or earlier — our friends are a truly marvelous blessing!

Love this one – our handsome dads!

A few minutes later MacKenzie came to retrieve me, and I headed around the corner for our first look. I just did a quick search and apparently I never shared my thoughts on first looks on EFM (??), but basically, I strongly dislike contrived situations where people tap each other on the shoulder — just a personal preference. So, I simply rounded the corner of the porch to where John was waiting, both of us grinning like fools.

For us, the first look wasn’t the overwhelmingly emotional part of the day that it is for some people — more joyful — but we were glad we did it and it worked well with our timeline.

Going through these photos again just makes me appreciate Tanja’s genius even more. She is amazing, y’all! And these are all film – just beautiful.

My beautiful sisters.

More beautiful sisters! You may recall my struggles with bridesmaid dresses, but everything worked out in the end!

We were running a bit behind to head out for the church, but just before we hopped in the cars I made a last minute request to Tanja.

I needed a photo with “my” house, and she was so kind to oblige. Maybe, just maybe, this portrait will one day be hanging on the walls… and I’ll be living inside :)

Photographer: Tanja Lippert / Videographer: Inkspot Crow Films / Day-of-Coordinator: Diana Chouinard of Jubilee Events / Flowers: Blush Floral Design / Hair and Makeup Artist: Tia Reagan / Bride’s Gown: “Brisa” by Christos / Bride’s Shoes: “Paladin” by Nina from 6pm.com / Bride’s Earrings: “Toulouse” by Nina / Bride’s Necklace: Blue Nile / Bride’s Veil: Chaviano Couture / Bridesmaid Dresses: “2834” by Dessy / Groom’s Attire: Tuxedo by Tommy Hilfiger from Macy’s / Groom and Groomsmen Bow Ties: Bows N’ Ties / Groom’s Suspenders: J. Crew / Groomsmen Suspenders: The Grunion Run / Groom’s Cufflinks: Keys and Memories