Minnetonka Summer Wedding // Nick & Stephani

7/8/2018

It was finally the long awaited moment. We had arrived at Purgatory Park and the irony of the name struck us as we walked the path to where Nick was. As Stephani took steps closer to her groom, the reality of the wedding day sunk in all the more. He held his eyes tightly closed, struggling with wanting to peek and see his beautiful bride but also not wanting to look until the exact moment. It wasn’t your typical first look. This one was different. Both Nick and Stephani had chosen to save their first kiss until their wedding day and since it was finally that day, there we stood at Purgatory Park anticipating the long awaited first kiss.

The minute that Nick opened his eyes, he took in his stunning and glowing beautiful bride. He took the time to take in all of her beauty and details and enjoy a strong yet tender hug before leaning in for the first kiss. We quietly worked to document the couple from afar, giving them a few moments to just be the two of them before moving them on to the other activities of the day. Then, once they finished, Mark got to fulfill his goal by teaching them how to kiss and specifically how to kiss for the camera – something he had definitely mentioned to Lindsay on the way over that he was hoping he would get to do during the wedding day. (Classic Mark!) Mark would probably say this is one of the biggest perks of being a husband and wife wedding photographer team – we can show exactly what we’re trying to describe and we get to walk along couples in their first day of marriage, which selfishly lets us go back to our first moments ourselves.

It’s such a joy and honor to spend the entire first day with a bride and groom. You get to see how they treat one another and those around them. When we left Nick and Stephani’s wedding, there was no doubt in our mind about the love, commitment, and firm foundation they have in their marriage and also that their friends and family 100% support this decision.

Nick and Stephani, thank you so much for choosing us! We left your wedding day encouraged to see how two single people can honor God with their lives and actions, awaiting the day where they would find the person to walk the rest of their life with in their journey to love the Lord. We pray that your enjoyment for long talks of politics, Shakespeare, the Bill of Rights, and oh-so-much-more continue as you enter into this new stage and that your marriage will be a light to those around you!