It is not secret that I love Michigan. I take pride in my home state and buy Michigan apparel like a tourist when I visit. When I am chosen to photograph a wedding there, I do a happy dance every single time.
Tom has been a friend since my days at Applebee’s, but now I have a friend in his new wife Kailee. She is the type that I know I would hang out with all the time if we lived closer. I can also thank her for introducing me to Feisty Diet Cherry Coke and Founder’s Green Zebra. She is amazing.
Tom was blessed with a positive heart in all situations. I was thrilled to see this enthusiasm shine on his wedding day. In true form, he memorized his vows. These are some of his favorite moments from their wedding day:
“My favorite parts of the wedding were the first look, our first dance, my best man speeches. Also, the pictures at sunset because we really didn’t get to spend a lot of time together and that was a great time to slow it down a little.”
Here are the vows Kailee shared with her groom on their wedding day:
“Tom, As we stand here today, I can’t help but to think back on how this all began. Since you came into my life, you’ve been a constant source of happiness I didn’t know I needed. First as a friend, then as a best friend, and finally with a little bit of liquid courage from my friend Tequila, something so much more. You are the sweetest, goofiest, happiest person I’ve ever known. Your “glass half full” personality from sun-up to sun-down has undeniably made me a better person and only slightly annoys me at sun up. When I’m being a weird-o or unreasonable I have a habit of saying “Hey, you picked me” and honestly I cannot tell you how honored I am and how lucky I feel that you did pick me to love til the end of our days. I have never met a soul as genuine as yours, eyes as kind as yours, or a butt as cute as yours and I vow to pinch it everyday of my life.
I was never sure if I believed in “the one,” but everything with you felt so natural and meant to be from the very start, that you became my heart and my home very quickly. In fact, I told Dana I was going to marry you before we had even said “I love you.” Now, five years later here we are. You are my favorite fishing partner, dance partner, cross-state driving partner, life partner and everything in between.
Tom, today I vow to love you with my whole heart for the rest of my life. To laugh with you everyday and only sometimes at you, to always dance with you in the living room after splitting a bottle of wine, to let you drive at night because I know it scares you when I do, to not hold a grudge against you in the morning for something you did in my dreams the night before, and to make you feel as loved, safe, and secure as you’ve made me feel since the moment we met. I vow to respect you, support you, and encourage you. I have no doubt in my mind we can conquer whatever life may throw our way and there’s no one I’d rather walk side by side with for the rest of my life. I just love you so much. Thanks for being my lobster.”
Let me be clear, I love these two and I cannot believe how lucky I am that they choose me to photograph their wedding.
While writing this post, I was listening to Band of Horses.
