Well suffice it to say, this blog post is long LONG overdue….
I think I’ve thought about it 100 times, wondering how I could put into words what being a part of Harper & Philip’s wedding was like for us.
It all started when I first met with them. Insta-love. I do believe I said, out loud “pick me, pick me.” I was dead serious. It was like meeting two old friends and being eager to catch up, and spend more time together. (I swear, some of this blog post WILL be about the wedding.)
Not long after I met with them, Dan and I were at Founders (shocker) for the 15th Anniversary party, and through a facebook message or text or somehow, we figured out Philip was there. We invited him to join our crowd, and yet another beer-mance was born. Not long after, we got to hang out with Harper and Philip, again and again and again. Harper has the BEST dry sense of humor, and Philip has the most infectious laugh. I think my favorite thing is to watch her roll her eyes in pretend annoyance while he throws his head back and laughs from deep down in his soul. It’s infectious.
Every time we hung out was fun, and was just like being with good friends of ours, which they are. Life friends.
Wedding day approaches, and basically the only instructions I have are “make sure we get to Founders.” (Well, there was a little more to it, but that’s pretty close). Girls get ready, guys get ready, keep them from seeing each other, tell them both how great the other looks, because man, they looked GOOD! Not that they don’t normally, but they really stepped it up this day!
Their beautiful wedding was at St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church – and if you’ve never experienced an orthodox ceremony before, I hope some day you do. It’s full of beauty and mystery, and unlike any other wedding ceremony. Lucky for us, we had two this year to witness.
After the ceremony we did as we were told and took the wedding party down to Founders. I love that, and not just because it was Founders – but I always encourage couples to take time and celebrate their day the way they want, doing something meaningful to them. I could have used that time for more pictures – but what they got were more memories, which is by far the most important part of the day.
The GORGEOUS reception with beautiful floral by Modern Day and some perfectly executed planning by RSVP events was held at The Meijer Gardens. Every detail was perfect. Perfect. I loved everything from the table layouts to the small floral arrangements on the name card table.
We had a few minutes to run around the gardens together before kicking off their reception, where they started by bringing all the guests to the dance floor for a traditional Lebanese dance. We were in for a party!
The speeches…well, I will just say this. I cried every time I looked at one of the pictures we took of them, because it brought me back to this beautiful, emotional place.
As their friends, it was fun to celebrate their day with them. As their photographers, it was fun to capture it all for them.
Harper & Philip we look forward to many more laughs together – probably over a pint or two – and would like to say CHEERS to you both!
– Lynell & Dan
