So... we booked Darby + Cody's wedding months ago and knew that our trip to West Virginia was coming for awhile. When we have destination weddings, we try to drive it because we just don't like to take any risk with our equipment getting lost or damaged if at all possible. Plus, we like road trips especially Craig... we love the scenery and sometimes we so wish we had a couple to take photos of when we see some magical places as we drive by them. No matter how hard we try, we just can't seem to make ourselves stop creating photographs in our minds. We just can't help it! On the way to this state that I've never been to, every time I said, "West Virginia" to Craig, I couldn't help but complete it with "mountain mama." I wondered, "Where have I heard this song before?" I remembered the tune all too well and couldn't help but google those words and listen to the song. I've heard this song so many times growing up... my dad was a country music fanatic and this was one of the songs that he'd listen to all the time! But, until I looked up the lyrics, I didn't know that the entire song was about West Virginia! If you follow us, you probably know that we went to Austria back in April and have seen some beautiful sites. But wow, West Virginia was just as beautiful and many times, it reminded us of Europe! The song by John Denver really described it so well... It's just no wonder he wrote a song about it! On our Insta stories, you'll see that we sang it during our ride over and over... our kids watch our Insta stories too and asked to hear the song and it's been playing in our home ever since and I'm not kidding... it's our son's favorite song now. It's the cutest thing to hear him sing along.
That's enough about our road trip.... let's now talk about what this blog post is really about! Darby + Cody! This was my first time meeting this couple because I didn't get to assist Craig with their engagement shoot, but because I've seen their photos, I felt like I knew them. I loved their e-session so much that we chose their shoot to be our engagement album sample! (Have you guys seen it? If you want one of yours, let me know!) Craig spoke so highly of them and kept saying how much I will love this couple and that we are going to have a great time at their wedding. When I met them, they were just like the way I imagined them to be.... beautiful and seriously sweet! Their family were all so awesome too. Learning about their family and their story touched my heart so much as well and once again made me realize that life is short, but it is beautiful. Life isn't easy, but through love, we can conquer it and live it well. Through stories is how we connect with our couples... and through stories is how they become friends, not clients. These are the times where our business is more than just a job, but it's a privilege and an honor to be able to take part in such significant moments of someone's life. Not just to be part of it, but we get to capture it! Wow.... the fulfillment of that is indescribable.
So, one unexpected thing was the heat in West Virginia. Since we drove about 9 hours north, I totally thought it would be at least a few degrees cooler than Georgia. Nope, it actually felt hotter and more humid. We then found out that they had record breaking heat that day. But hey, we will take that over rain any day. I made a little scene because I got dehydrated... I totally thought I was ok and made sure I kept drinking water, but I guess it wasn't enough. This has never happened at a wedding before for neither one of us, so I was embarrassed first of all and felt awful that this was even happening. Thank God this didn't last long (maybe about 30 min) and I got better, but do you know what our bride, Darby, said to me in the midst of this? She said, "I rather save a life than get married." What bride would say that?! She's an ER nurse, and I just couldn't believe that that thought would even cross her mind. It showed me how passionate she is about what she does too and that she is an amazing human being. How thoughtful and sweet... in that moment, I felt like she was an angel. No, I know she was. I know this stressed out Craig, but he handled it so well, took care of me and we made sure that this little episode didn't affect our work. Darby educated me on hypoglycemia and what I need to do to prevent this in the future. I felt old and dumb, but I now feel prepared. :) (Darby, I now have crackers in my purse... always!) Just as she sounds and as you can see yourself, this couple is beautiful.... aren't they really though? When you're so beautiful on the inside, it just magnifies your outward beauty that much more. They were so fun and easy to photograph. Really, they were totally models! I absolutely LOVED her dress, LOVED Cody's beard and how he can rock it! Just absolutely loved their confidence in front of the camera. They really have great style!
Darby + Cody, thank you for everything... thank you for being YOU! We are so grateful for you guys in so many ways. We loved experiencing West Virginia for the first time with you both! We congratulate you once again from the bottom of our hearts. We hope that these photos will remind you to daily love each other more and more. May the Lord continue to bless you, your marriage and your journey through life together.
With much love,
Craig + Unchong
