Navy and White Wedding | Blair + Cooper | Wichita, KS

So today’s Take Me Back post is a little bit different but very special. I decided to combine a wedding post and a TMB post because this couple really does take me back. You see I knew this couple before they were ever a them. In fact, I knew them before they knew each other… all thanks to a place that is near and to my heart and to theirs. It all began during the summer months of a little Ozark town within the gates of a special place called Kanakuk Kamp. All three of us were just crazy college kids wanting to spend our summers with other crazy college kids as we made lasting memories and tried to impact the next generation for Christ. We would work all day in the summer heat, put on crazy costumes just because, entertain children with silly skits and wacky games, and simply enjoyed being in a place of retreat from the world. If you’ve ever worked at a summer camp you know what I mean when I say there is nothing else like it. Your friendships develop quicker than anywhere else and somehow last longer because you’ve worked together so closely for a common goal and in some of the most stretching environments.

I knew Cooper first and then I met Blair…and then they met each other. They were friends first, not thinking much of it, until one summer when their particular positions at camp meant that they would be working closely together. All summer long their friendship deepened and so did their affection for one another. He began to see that this woman was something special and she began to see that she loved being with this man. I still remember the day she called me to tell me that he had asked her out…catching her completely off guard. For a little over a year they dated long distance and boy was it a sweet season of pursuit. These two are incredibly fun people separately but together…well together they are just a blast. Blair called me almost immediately after they got engaged and asked me to be there to photograph their special day. I of course heartily agreed, not wanting to miss such a wonderful celebration. So, on a beautiful day in March, I loaded up in my car (having just shot another wedding) and drove through the night to be there with these two. It was totally worth it as I got to stand in agreement with them as they vowed forever.

One of the reasons I love photographing weddings is because it celebrates something God so beautifully designed. Relationship. God is a relational God and He has made His people to be relational beings. Not only is that the beauty of marriage but it is also the beauty of those standing with you as you join in lifetime union. That is what made this day so special. Not only was I getting to document a union between two people who I love dearly but I was getting to do it surrounded by people who I love dearly. A good portion of the guests were people I had worked alongside during those hot summer months…creating again those sweet relationships. As Blair and Cooper held hands and exchanged rings, promising to be faithful til death, hundreds of people joined with them in support. I may have shed just a tear or two behind the camera as I witnessed such a beautiful event. Maybe.

Blair and Cooper, how fun that I have walked this journey with you literally since before the beginning. You two are some of my favorite people and I am beyond privileged to have been able to document such a wonderful day. I cannot wait to see where your journey as husband and wife takes you. I am confident that God will do mighty things through your marriage…and I am confident that it will include crazy costumes and epic dance moves.

So, in the name of sweet friendships,

I Say, Take Me Back!