I had been looking forward to Marissa & Phil’s wedding ever since their engagement session. Here was one fun-loving energetic couple, and I swear it wasn’t because I would also get to have my first Spoonlickers froyo. Dan may have been a bit excited when I told him the wedding party was going to have “fast fun cars” for the day.

I started out with Marissa & her girls while they got ready, and Dan headed out to join the guys while they got ready, and then tapped their toes, eager to put “pedal to metal” and have fun. This is one instance where our philosophy towards weddings comes into play. Dan could have spent more time photographing the guys, different poses, taking them around, but what he sensed was they were ready for fun. They rented fast cars, they needed to drive fast cars (within the speed limit, of course, wink wink). As a photographer, I love having plenty of time with my couples to get great shots. What I love even MORE as a photographer is seeing them truly enjoy their wedding day. I want to know that at the end of the day a bride, groom, and their wedding party can say “we had fun doing X, Y, and Z” and have one of those be the pictures, and the other two about their celebration.

So as the guys tore up the town, again, obeying all posted speed limit laws (you can go zero to 60 pretty quickly, I’ve heard), the girls finalized their preparations for Marissa & Phil’s first look. But before that….Marissa got to be presented to her father. There are just some daddy-daughter moments that touch your heart, and this was one of them. For this photographer, it’s hard to take pictures and not cry! This is a dad who loves his daughter for all that she was….is….and will be. We saw it time and again during the day.

Spending time with so many couples throughout the year, you would think it would be easy to just go through the motions, do the work, and not take time to soak in who are couples are, to get to know their personalities, and to not develop a little bit of love for them. Not so. Especially with people like Phil & Marissa, who with their friends, are just genuine. Genuine people. True, honest, and free from pretense.

We loved celebrating with them and for them. We enjoyed their families and their friends. Dan appreciated (more so than I did) the cars. I loved every bit of emotion, every smile, and definitely their glow-stick necklace party on the dance floor!

Phil & Marissa, I hope you don’t need the Florida sunshine to keep you warm – only the memories of this beautiful day, the lovely people who surrounded you, and those perfect vows.

– Lynell & Dan

P.S. I still wish Phil’s dad could have pulled out his old hairdo for this one. 😉