…with their reception completing the night under the stars….

…I’m guessing they didn’t picture it being 103 degrees outside! But that’s what they got… and they just decided to roll with it.

They didn’t let it ruin their day, they just drank a lot of water and made frequent appearances into the most heavily air conditioned rooms they could find. And their bridal party were troopers as well!

Actually it did turn about being OK. They did have a bit of a sweaty ceremony but the beauty of it distracted everyone from their sunburns.

And by the time evening had rolled around the air had started to cool down and their spectacular patio reception turned out to be everything they had dreamed of.

I LOVED these chalkboards that Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club had set up. Megan and Ross transformed into fun decor by writing table numbers as well as using them like you see below!)

If was a beautiful way to finish out Ross and Megan’s perfectly planned wedding that included everything from singing toasts (which actually wasn’t part of Megan’s plan, that was a surprise from her dad)…

… to hand rolled cigars…

…to fireworks.

They had done it. Megan and Ross had braved the heat, planned a perfect wedding, enjoyed their big day to the fullest, and of course… married the loves of their lives.

What more could you ask for out of a wedding?!

I have to take a second to talk about their reveal moment, or “first look”.

The reason is because just as Megan was getting ready to walk down the aisle to get married, she turned to me and said, “Breanna, thank you SO much for convincing us to see each other before the wedding! I don’t know what we were thinking when we were considering not doing it! I’m so much less nervous than I would be otherwise right now and it made our day so much better to have shared more of it together. Thank you!” And then she headed down the aisle to meet her groom, whom she was no less happy to be seeing for the second time that day!

If you’re planning your wedding and you’re still not sure about whether or not you should see one another before the wedding, take a moment to educate yourself about it so you can make an informed decision by reading what Megan read before her wedding, “The Reveal Moment: to have or not to have”.

To Ross and Megan: I really am so incredibly proud of how much you guys decided to chill and forget about the small stuff so you could focus on each other and the relationships surrounding you. I’m especially happy you chose to do that because you guys having fun means that we get to have a ton of fun with you!

We really enjoyed hanging out with you both and being a part of something so incredibly important to you.

Thanks or choosing us and trusting us.

I hope these pictures help you remember this day perfectly for the rest of your lives!

Click to see the rest of Ross and Megan’s Sunny and Happy Wedding day photos.

You’ve now finished the appetizers I’ve been feeding you about Katy and Shaun’s wedding week and are ready for the main course… the wedding day.

By now you’ve read about Katy and Shaun and you’ve seen the heart they put into planning their wedding week (if you missed all this, read part 1 and part 2) for their friends and family to enjoy so you know to expect nothing short of amazingness, in all it’s glory, on their wedding day.

And you’d be quite right to expect that.

No beauty was spared, no creative ideas left untouched as Katy and Shaun put all the details into their big day.

Everything from big to small was perfect.

(Instead of flower girls and ring bearers, they had the kids at the wedding hand out leis to the guests as they arrived).

I’m sure some of this perfection came from their perfectly wonderful wedding coordinator, Melissa Laudise with Let’s Do This! Event Planning and Coordinating.  We had heard a ton about Melissa long before it was even time to head to Hawaii.  Katy and Shaun were absolutely thrilled with her… as were we once we got to meet and work with her!  She was so easy to work with and she was the perfect combination of relaxed and organized… in short, we have a professional crush on her.

Her arrangement of all the sentimental and beautiful details that Katy and Shaun wanted included in their wedding was pulled off flawlessly, and she did it all with a casual kind of grace that can only be described as “Hawaiian Class”.

Melissa lives in Hawaii but she travels for weddings!  So no matter where you live, if you still need a coordinator for your wedding day, give her a call!

As you can see, the Kahaluu fishpond that Katy and Shaun got married on, also had a part to play in the beauty of the wedding day. I can’t believe how perfectly this place seemed to fit them.

The little house the girls got ready in (one that President Obama stayed in on a visit by the way) was lit up all bright and beautiful and had a chill, down to earth feel…

… sort of like Katy herself!

Doesn’t she just beam?!

I have to say that when Katy put on the wedding dress I absolutely lost my breath for a second!  She somehow managed to still look like herself, but also just like a Hawaiian princess!

I’m not kidding, the entire day I couldn’t get over how beautiful she looked, I’m sure her face radiating happiness the way it was had a lot to do with it!

It was at this house that Katy and Shaun had their reveal moment…

…which they both agreed they were SO glad they did since  it made them feel more like a team as they prepared to walk down the aisle in front of all their family and friends…

…and I’m sure it’s a moment that neither will ever forget.

Since we loved the house so much, we went ahead and did all the group photos around there as well.

(Someone shouted the cue and before I knew what was happening, they’d spelled out “Katy” with their arms!  Ha ha!).

Once it was time for the ceremony, Katy pulled out all the stops by surprising her guests and coming across the lake on a canoe (that was being paddled by 2 of the groomsmen… who are obviously very trusted and have very good balance!).

(He’s eagerly awaiting the arrival of his beautiful bride from across the water).

Since I (Breanna) knew the canoe entrance was coming, that wasn’t the most surprising part of the ceremony to me… what was surprising was how emotional I got throughout the whole thing!  It was one of those times where I was constantly checking the viewer on my camera to make sure the mist from my eyes wasn’t fogging it up.

I just know how excited they were about every single little part of their day since we’ve been talking with them about it for so long now.

During the very first phone call we ever had with them, Katy and Shaun took great care to explain in detail, how much they wanted their wedding to be about joining them together before God and about the great love they shared with each other and with all the people surrounding them.  For as excited as they were about the actual wedding and reception, they were even more excited about the meaning behind it all.

The location of the ceremony and reception couldn’t have been better… with beautiful tents set up for dinner, complete with my dearest decor love… white lights strung across a night sky.

I’ve always dreamed of having the perfect nighttime garden party… and I think Katy and Shaun nailed my own dreams on the head!

The cocktail hour area was stunning as well, with a magnificent view of the lake and couches to sit on while you stare at it and talk to your friends, it was the whole package.

During this chill hanging out time guests were not only munching on amazing appetizers (called Pupus there), but also filling out postcards to mail to Katy and Shaun sporadically once they return home from their honeymoon.

So they can look forward to getting different postcards from their wedding guests for a long time after their wedding day.  How fun is that?!  This idea is courtesy of Melissa’s special touch.

After the cocktail hour and the dinner, we moved onto the toasts.  I heard some of the best speeches I’ve ever heard that night.  Maybe it’s because I’d spent all week getting to know the people who were giving the speeches…

…but I felt like they were incredibly insightful and exceptionally beautiful.  I also heard one of the funniest speeches I’ve ever heard as one of the groomsmen read out loud a letter Shaun wrote him when he was in Jr. High.

It was hilarious and such a great idea!

During the speeches, it started raining.  But don’t worry, instead of taking away from the perfection of the day, it actually made it better!

In Hawaii, rain on your wedding day is considered good luck and Shaun (who lived in Hawaii for awhile growing up) was really hoping they’d get “the blessing”, but he also didn’t want it to spoil any of their plans.  So after the 20 min. of rain we got, he was SO excited that they had some rain but not too much!

(and Scottie was so excited he had the chance to get these amazing nighttime rain shots!).

Pretty soon it was time to start the party!

Katy and Shaun had hired a super talented and very fun band and their guests took full advantage of this excellent dancing music that was there just for them. Everyone jumped right in and the energy that flowed from the band to the guests was very high!  Katy and Shaun’s first dance was amazing too by the way, it was to a very fun and jazzy number and they busted out with some moves I didn’t know they had in them!

Towards the end of the night, the big surprise we’d been waiting for finally came… Shaun and his band got up there to sing a song dedicated to Katy (read about the coolness of their band in this post here).  They sang “Just the Two of Us” (no, not the Will Smith version!) and there is no less cheesy way to describe this song than as a magical moment.  It just was.  The ebb and flow of the musicians, the excitement of their guests, and the happiness of Katy and Shaun made it all more than complete.  It was definitely unforgettable.

(this was taken when everyone was cheering on Shaun and the band… so cool.  Like our Facebook page if you want to tag yourself in some of these photos.).

As the guests cleared out of the wedding, they weren’t too sad that it was over because for many of them it wasn’t!

Katy and Shaun had planned an after party at a local restaurant where they had hired another musician as well.  We spent the night dancing away and laughing and talking with all their fantastic friends.  We don’t have any after party pictures because Katy and Shaun talked us into not bringing our cameras so we could truly relax.  By the end of the night, we were so thankful that we listened to them because we had more fun than I can remember having in a very long time!

(Katy and her mom… about to walk down the aisle together).

(Shaun with is 90+ year old grandmother who was such a trooper and made it to many of the pre-wedding events as well as the wedding!).

(Shaun giving his nephew- also named Shaun- one of the coolest challenges I’ve ever heard).

Actually, this entire experience in Hawaii with Katy and Shaun and their guests is pretty unforgettable.

I can honestly say with confidence that it was one of the best weeks of Scottie and my lives and we are so thankful we got to be a part of it all.  Thank you Katy and Shaun for being the loving, relaxed, gracious, and fun people that you are.

We not only enjoyed all aspects of your wedding week, but we can’t imagine spending it with a better couple.  You both are very unique individuals and we’re so glad that you’ve joined forces to create the beautiful “collective dream” that you are working on.  We love you both and we’re excited to come visit you in CA soon!

Click to see the rest of the photos from Katy and Shaun’s wedding!

(Also click to see pictures of Katy swimming in her wedding dress after the wedding!)

For reals!  Whenever we (Josh and Kelley) book any kind of a baby session, I (Kelley) usually start jumping up and down, dreaming up shot ideas, and blabbing Josh’s ear off until the shoot is over.

(How can you not love babies?!  Just LOOK at him!  Too CUTE!)

So, when we set up a “New Addition” session for the Campbell family (a newborn session, but with the whole family), Josh knew he was in for it!  Why?  Because this family has a beautiful newborn baby boy…

(Love that little smile!)

AND the most adorable two year old little girl that you’ve EVER seen!

That’s right folks, two babies (well, I’m counting toddlers as babies here) in ONE session!  WIN!

When Josh and I arrived, little Isaiah was pretty tired, so we started by getting some sweet sleeping newborn shots.

Now, as you may have heard, it’s best to take newborn photos within seven days or so after the little one is born.  The reason for this is that after that first week, the baby starts to become more alert, awake, and WAY less happy about posing for photos.

While Isaiah was a couple of days past that one week mark on the day of this session, he slept just long enough for us to get some great sleepy shots!

Once Isaiah woke up, Josh and I moved onto family shots! A couple with the WHOLE gang…

Siblings…

Daddy son time…

(He’s so tiny that he fits in his dad’s motorcycle helmet!)

Mother son time….

And of course some daddy daughter time.

(I love that she’s putting on her dad’s hunting cap while wearing a fluffy pink dress!)

Then, right around the time everyone else was running out of energy, it was time for two year old Mikayla to shine (leave it to a two year old to be full of energy when everyone else is winding down).

She pumped everyone else up as she danced to Van Halen’s, “Jump” (courtesy of her dad’s phone) and twirled in a shower of countless bubbles (courtesy of dad and a bubble wand).

Thank you Campbells for letting Josh and me help you document this important new chapter in the life of your family.

Your “New Addition” is already such a blessing to those around him, which is why we know he will fit PERFECTLY into the Campbell family.

Click here to see the rest of the Campbell’s New Addition Session

That’s right, she’s all grown up and graduating! She apparently survived that crazy thing called high school and is ready to move on to see what the wonderful world of college has in store for her!

Morgan my dear, you are going to have so much fun!

I (Breanna) can’t even tell you how happy we were to get the email saying that Morgan was ready for her senior pictures!

It is seriously so cool to get to be involved with such an awesome girl during all the major events in her life! Is something good going on in Morgan’s life? Oh, looks like we get to go hang out with her and celebrate again!!

I mean, how cool is that?!

So Morgan rolled up in her Mustang (that we got to witness her getting as a gift for her 16th birthday!) and we headed out into the trees to get some farewell to high school photos!

(obviously we left the trees eventually in favor of some dirt!).

Morgan chose a great spot for pictures (on private property so I can’t tell you where it’s at!) and brought along her mom and sister to be her slaves, I mean “assistants” to help her carry stuff and provide a little comedic relief to help us get some laughing shots.

A special thanks to Morgan for bringing us along once again into this new stage of your life. Your excitement and smile are totally contagious, so we are always happy for the opportunity to be around you and to help you commemorate the major milestones in your life!

We can’t wait to see what’s next for you! Congratulations on graduating and good luck in college!
Love,
Scottie and Breanna

(Click to see the rest of Morgan’s senior session photos).

Exhibit A:  Luke.  Enough said.

Even when I was a teenager, teenagers were cooler than me.  And that “coolness” always seems to shine through in photos and make for some amazing shots!

(I can’t really give “being a teenager” all of the credit for this shot. Luke is obviously a PRO in front of the camera!)

Now, for those of you that don’t know Luke, get to know him. I mean right now!  Josh and I spent over an hour taking his photos, chatting with him,  and just getting to know him. He’s pretty darn awesome!

We also learned a few things about Luke from his mom and dad who came along for the shoot.  For example, Luke likes to sit on things.

I know, I know, random right?  But apparently sitting anywhere and everywhere is a real talent of his.  In fact, Luke and his family recently took a trip around Italy (yeah, I’m jealous too!) and they all joke that it was Luke’s trip of Italian things to sit on.  Naturally, we had to grab a few shots of Luke just sitting around.

We also heard that Luke was a pretty skilled jumper.  And, while Josh and I are pretty tough critics when it comes to jumping (we have some pretty mad jumping skills ourselves), we give Luke a solid 10 out of 10!

In the fall, Luke will be starting classes at ASU (see, I told you he’s cool… Can you tell Josh and I are ASU graduates?), and I’m sure he will do wonderfully.  Not only am I sure that he will do well in his classes, but I’m predicting that he will also be great when it comes to sitting on and jumping off all sorts of things on campus.

But in all seriousness Luke, thanks for letting Josh and me help you and your family document this important milestone in your life, we had a blast!

Congratulations on graduating and good luck with your future at ASU.  You’re going to be GREAT!

Click to see the rest of Luke’s Senior Session

It’s one thing to spend time hanging out together in private in your home but it’s another thing to do it when someone pulls out a camera since that simple action is likely to make at least one of your family members (if not all of them) freeze up and instantly feel awkward. Plus there are different stages throughout your children’s lives and sometimes it’s hard to find an activity that everyone can participate in and have fun with.  Some families interact very naturally together without any outside help and others need something to prompt them, or to do together, to help them interact naturally.  You know your family and if you are the kind that might need a little extra push in this area (especially when there’s a camera around). Either way, I hope the Cottrell’s example might get some wheels turning for you….

(Somehow the kids kept losing important clothing items throughout the session so this picture cracks me up… and reminds me about Nicole’s relaxed, non-stressed attitude! See post 3 for more on that!).

The Cottrells have family snuggle time in bed on Saturday mornings.  This means, dad’s home from work and the kids crawl into their parents’ bed to hang out and start off their weekend together. What an AMAZING and special time to share in together every week! And since this is a regular thing they do together that everyone in the family loves, I can think of nothing better to capture on picture day.

When the Cottrell kids grow up and think of good times with their parents, I have no doubt they’ll think of Saturday mornings in bed together, so those are the kind of memories we want to preserve in photos.  Especially because it will make it that much more amazing when the kids grow up and keep the same tradition with their own kids and have a photographer capture the same memories with their family.  How cool would that be?!?

So why on earth would you rather have pictures of everyone sitting and smiling together in a park than family snuggle time photos?!

Because for some reason, family photo time has become the exact opposite of family snuggle time in many ways.  It has become so much colder.  Why is that?! We have digital now, we can take thousands of pictures and it costs us nothing! So we can afford to sacrifice a few blurry photos due to the kids jumping on the bed too much or a couple of dark pictures as we get the indoor lighting just right.  Posy- posy type of pictures come from back in the day when a single picture cost a ton of money to take and you couldn’t risk one not being perfect!  We can risk it now so lets make the most of it!

So while you’re trying to think of what backgrounds make your family look best (because that’s important too), make sure you take the time to think about what activities make your family the most YOU. Think about what each of your kids like to do to showcase their personalities.  The Cottrells’ little boy loves to sit at the piano and play (he seriously can play specific notes in specific order… I guess that’s called a song!) so they planned some of that time into the session.

Their little girl loves to entertain and tell dramatic stories (while jumping on the bed apparently!) so they let her go ahead and do that while they all sat attentively!

A major factor in the Cottrell family session is that the parents were very active participants.

Don’t forget, it’s not all about the kids.  I don’t care if you don’t like how you look right now, your kids will want pictures of you playing with them when they grow up whether you’re 100 lbs overweight with adult acne or not!

Family picture time is about so much more than looks and these pictures are for everyone so don’t get obsessed with yourself and how YOU look. Get in there and be great parents who really play with their kids and participates in their interests!

(Even if that means getting your head stepped on every once in awhile).

That’s the way people will remember you, rather than as someone who’s missing in all the photos because they were sadly insecure.

So be thinking of things your family does together.  How do you interact together?  I don’t just mean playing kids games either.  Do you hold your child while they stir the brownie batter? Lets get a picture of that. Do they imitate you getting ready in the morning or while you clean house? Lets get a picture of that.  Do you play dress up together, have dance parties, work in the garden, make meals together…. any of that is GREAT for pictures!  Just make sure you chose something that keeps you close, touching, and happy and your pictures will look amazing.

So let’s review what you’ve learned so far…

When you are planning a family photo session make sure you consider the right timing for the session, the style (pick 1 item to build your wardrobe, location, and props from), your attitude and expectations about the session, and what activities show your family as they really are at this stage in life.

Well that’s it!  Now you know how to do it, how to have a truly great family photo session! You know how to have the right style, attitude, and interactions.  But even with all that great info, the most  important thing is that you don’t think of this as picture day.  Think of it as a visual representation of the kind of love you have for one another and most of all… think of it as a great day you’ll have with your family that you want to remember forever. That will make it a truly great family photo session.

(Click to read the series from the beginning.)

Camelback is absolutely beautiful, and surprisingly enough, we don’t get to shoot there very often.  I think it’s something about living in the desert makes people crave green fields and grassy parks in photo sessions.

Understandably, when people plan a photo session, they often want something “different” than they see everyday.  Ironically enough, that ends up making desert shoots in Phoenix pretty unique!

All that to say Josh and I were extremely excited about a Camelback photo session.  So, later on, when we heard why this location was so important to Kim and Tru, it was just the icing on the cake.

You see, Kim and Tru hiked up Camelback on their very first date.  Strangely enough, Kim didn’t know it was a date at the time.

Nevertheless, Tru made sure it was the perfect first date.  It fact, at one point during the climb, Kim slipped and Tru pretty much saved her life!  A story that their families still talk about to this day!

(Tru does somewhat resemble a knight in shining armor doesn’t he?)

Now, some may think that this whole life saving story is an exaggeration, but I FULLY believe it.  I was on that mountain with them during the photo session, and while some of us were falling over rocks, thinking a little too much about hidden rattlesnakes, and being attacked by tree branches (Josh and me… okay, mostly just me.), or trying hard to gracefully climb a mountain in a dress and high heels (Kim), Tru was bouncing around from boulder to boulder fully enjoying himself and helping to keep us all upright. I think that he may secretly be part mountain goat, and I KNOW that he could save the life of a beautiful falling woman, like Kim.

Not only was this mountain the venue of their first date, it was also the spot where Tru proposed.

I can hardly climb Camelback Mountain on a normal day, I can’t even imagine somebody doing it with a stomach full of butterflies and an engagement ring hidden in their pocket.

Still, being the mountain goat that he is, Tru made it all the way to the top that day, and proposed to Kim right then and there.

(This is my FAVORITE photo from their engagement session! You can really SEE how much she loves him!)

It’s no wonder they wanted to use Camelback as the location for their engagement session.  It’s obviously been a pretty huge part of their relationship, and now, with these engagement photos, it has yet another reason to hold a special place in their hearts.

Kim and Tru, Josh and I absolutely loved hanging out with you two on the mountain and hearing more of your beautiful story!   We can’t wait to watch (and photograph) the next chapter of that story as it starts next month on your wedding day!

Click to see the rest of Kim and Tru’s Camelback Engagement Session.

When Pete and Allison called us while they were pregnant to schedule their newborn photo session (which was very smart of them because the best time for newborn photos is within 10 days after birth) we proposed a new idea for them to consider.

Not only did we want to do their newborn photos, but we also wanted to use video to tell their story as they excitedly awaited their little one!

Thanks to Pete, Allison, and Vincent for being so patient as we worked through the kinks of our new project. You guys were all very brave for letting us experiment with you!

Check out Pete and Allison’s video “Vincent” and tell us what you think!

Now that we’re all caught up, I want to tell you about what happened after the glitz and glam of the wedding day had faded, guests were beginning the trek home, and Megan and Mark had gotten at least a few hours of sleep. We’re talking about the day after the wedding photo session, or what we call a “Unique Session“.

Unique Sessions are a MUST for destination weddings! Once you’ve spent that much money and time planning a wedding in a place you specifically chose for it’s beauty, you want to get as many photos of it as you can!

Which is exactly what we did when we headed out to explore the island of Maui with Megan and Mark all dressed up in their wedding clothes again the day after the wedding.

The Unique Session is a great way to help couples relax more on their wedding day because they know they’re going to have a second chance to get the best photos possible out of us in case things don’t go exactly as planned on the wedding day.

(Not to mention, it gives us more time to get special shots like this one which is a replicate of a photo Mark’s parents have from their wedding!).

 It also frees us up a bit to do our absolute best because it gives us a chance to be a little more in control of the timing, lighting, location, and everything else that goes into making a fabulous magazine style image that is a little bit harder to get on a busy wedding day!

Whenever we have a destination wedding, Scottie and I (Breanna) always arrive a few days early to explore the location and get our bearings around the area so that we can find the killer photo locations that we know are out there!

On this particular trip, we spent 2 full days scouting the entire island before the wedding day, looking for just the right spot for the shoot. We talked to locals, went a little bit off the trails the signs told us to stay on, and put lots and LOTS of miles on our rental car in our search for the perfect spot. And then we found it!

We found a couple of spots actually!

(Over looking the city).

(wide open fields)

(the jungle)

(the beach)

(and of course, the beautiful rolling green hills)

As you can see, Maui has quite a bit to show off! Luckily, Megan and Mark fully trusted us and let us guide their ready and willing selves around with smiles on their faces the entire time. Thanks to their willingness and their choice to do the Unique Session in the first place, we were able to really capture all that Maui has to offer!

Actually they REALLY trusted us, as we found out when Megan told us she was willing to risk ruining her wedding dress because she was confident we could get some amazing photos that would make the destruction all worth it! So that’s what we did! Little bit, by little bit, Mark took her out further into the deep blue ocean.

They had soooo much fun out there! They took some time to savor the moment, squeeze in a few kisses, and had a couple of surprise waves make their way over to them as well!

Once they were out of the water, it was fair game for us in the sand!

We took the opportunity to get a few more of the kind of photos you can only get with a dirty wedding dress and a bride who is actually happy about it!

It was so wonderful to feel like we really got to tap into the full beauty potential Maui brings and to get to spend even more time with this amazing couple now that the wedding was over and the honeymoon relaxation was starting to kick in for them!

In fact, we did a few “off to the honeymoon” sort of photos to finish off the session!

Thanks for giving us that extra day guys, I know you had to be exhausted, but it looks like you had fun and we absolutely LOVE the pictures so I hope you feel it was all worth it! Congratulations again, we’re so excited for you two!

Click to see the rest of the photos from Megan and Mark’s Maui Exploring Unique Session.

Click to read the blog about their wedding day!

And Breanna (me) replied “sounds great! When and where is the wedding?”

Then Megan said, “Maui”. And Breanna said nothing because she was already home packing her bags for Hawaii.

OK, maybe that’s not exactly how it went down, but it was pretty close!  Whether you’re a guest, a vendor, a parent, or a bridesmaid… when someone tells you that you’re invited to their wedding on Maui, you only have one option for how you react. You don’t hesitate, check your calendar, or ask your girlfriend… you just nod yes immediately and ask them to fork over the RSVP card where you can check “attending” to seal the deal.

OK, again, maybe that’s not exactly what we did, but it was pretty close! We actually decided to do the responsible thing and sit down with Megan and Mark to find out more about their wedding and see if we’d be a good fit for it!

(Like our Facebook page to tag yourselves in some of the photos!).

As soon as we realized that Megan and Mark were such awesome people and that it looked like we were going to be a good addition to their wedding, both Scottie and I let out our breaths that we were surprised to find we’d been holding during the entire meeting.

So to put it mildly, yes, we were excited to go to Hawaii. But not just because the coconuts and luaus were calling our names, but because Hawaii is one of the most gorgeous places for a wedding, which means it’s an absolute dream for wedding photographers!

When Megan and Mark told us they were having their reception at The Four Seasons Resort there, our excitement only grew because we couldn’t wait to see what kind of pictures we’d be able to get out of a place that gorgeous with a couple this stunning!

When we arrived on the wedding day and took in the scenery around us, we immediately knew there was no chance we’d be disappointed!

And when we saw the couple themselves, slow, wide smiles spread across our faces. Megan looked GORGEOUS with her blonde hair pinned perfectly in a way that effortlessly resisted the inevitable Maui afternoon winds…

…and Mark was fully caught up into the day from early on as his groomsmen gave tear jerking speech after tear jerking speech.

(I love this picture with all Mark’s groomsmen having a good time around him while he’s just off in his own little world as he eagerly awaits his bride’s entrance into the ceremony!).

Megan and Mark had a beautiful, traditional Catholic Mass for their ceremony.

And from there they moved on for a little bit of photo opp time with yours truly.

Before I dive head first into the super fantastic party details, I need to point out something. One of the things that impressed me most about this wedding, besides the incredible speeches, super supportive family and friends, and the undeniable loving relationship between the couple themselves, was the fantastic planning that Megan did.

As many of the heartfelt speeches I’ve referred to mentioned, Megan opted to go wedding planner free for this and did everything on her own.

If any of you out there have ever had a destination wedding where you have actual ocean between you and the place you’re getting married at, you know this is quite an impressive feat!

( I LOVED the adorable little “Puggle Pops” and “Purr-fect Pops” made to represent their beloved cat and dog who couldn’t be at the wedding with them! Not to mention the elegant, all white candy bar shown below that was all kinds of stunning!)

One of my favorite parts of the day (out of many) was the reaction Megan had when she saw the final product of all her months and months of hard work.

She walked into the empty ballroom to check it out before the guests entered, and you could just tell by how her eyes widened, her hands glided along the backs of the chairs, and her smile grew bigger and bigger, that this was EXACTLY the way she had always dreamed her wedding day would be!

She talked about it multiple times throughout the night because she just couldn’t believe how incredibly perfect all her plans had turned out! She was floating on her perfect wedding high as she stood next to her perfect man who was such a perfect match for her.

It was… perfect.

Oh yeah, and it didn’t take long for the party to go into full swing awesomeness!

(Why yes, that IS the Thriller dance!)

(Why yes, that IS Mark impressing us all with his incredible moves that probably caused him a lot of pain in the morning!).

Megan and Mark, I can’t tell you how much I loved hearing all the stories about you two and your love for each other throughout the many elaborate and tear inducing speeches I heard the weekend of your wedding.

Yes, we’re glad we had the opportunity to go to Hawaii, but even more than that, we really are so glad we got to be a part of a wedding where the couple is as loved and supported as much as you two are…

…and who are even more in love than two people could ask to be on their wedding day.

My favorite speech of the night was your best man, Jay’s, speech. I’m pretty sure it will go down in history as one of the best of all time.

(Jay is one left of Mark in this photo).

I loved it because of the way that he described Mark’s ridiculously high expectations for the girl he was going to marry. Everyone thought he was crazy for maintaining these expectations as the years went by and that girl remained nowhere to be found. Then Jay proceeded to explain how Megan perfectly fulfilled all those expectations to a T in a way that completely astounded everyone and made them eat their words for ever thinking that Mark was asking for too much.

He’d definitely found “the one” and everyone knew it.

You guys are such a wonderful couple and Scottie and I couldn’t be happier for you two. It really was such an honor to be a part of such a beautiful wedding that I know will translate into a beautiful marriage. Congratulations!

Oh but wait! You thought that was all didn’t you?! No way, there’s much more!  That’s right, there’s a whole other photo session that we did with Megan and Mark around the island the day after their wedding… and yes, I’m going to make you wait for it! So be excited, be very excited because there’s nothing better than a day after session with a fantastic couple in the extraordinary world of Maui! Here’s a taste of the session…

… check back later this week for the rest!

Click to see more photos from Megan and Mark’s Marvelous Maui Wedding here.