.:ryan & leah extravaganza:.

We met Ryan & Leah only a few months before their wedding. We all met up one afternoon at McAllister's Deli to go over their expectations, hopes, dreams, and the like for their big day. They told us about how they thought a wedding should be fun--a huge celebration complete with whiffle ball, canoeing, fishing, games, piñatas, candy, dancing, great food, sumo wrestling suits, and fun and laughter. Brian and I left really excited, we couldn't stop talking about how we wished we were creative and cool enough back when we got married to think of all the fun things Ryan & Leah had planned for their reception. Even though the Sumo Wrestling suits idea was eventually nixed, everything else went as planned. I've never seen guests enjoy themselves so much or a couple so relaxed.

We did their engagement shoot several weeks prior at the Shelter Gardens. I suspect that Leah, being an avid gardener and excellent cook, was the one who had the idea. Unfortunately, it ended up being one of the hottest days of the summer so the session ended a littler earlier than normal because we were all starting to fade pretty fast. But they were great sports and we learned quickly that Leah was going to be one of our favorite brides to shoot yet as she is absolutely natural in front of the camera and always full of so much joy as you'll notice throughout their photos. Their little one, Maddie Bell, tagged along for the photo session. One of her favorite things to do right now is to sniff the flowers (and sometimes eat them shortly afterwards) so you might see a few of her below doing just that!

Leah warned us that the place they were to hold their wedding at (a family friend's home & land just south of Columbia) was one of the most stunningly gorgeous places you'd ever see. Apparently Ryan, stud that he is, took Leah out there on one of their first few dates (if I remember correctly there was some canoeing and a guitar involved!) and they've never let go their attachment. When we arrived I was absolutely overwhelmed with the beauty of it all, not to mention the gorgeous flowers that were waiting for us that were done by the ever enchanting My Secret Garden. Everything felt magical--the lake, the butterflies in the garden, the rows upons rows of wildflowers, the old boathouse, the dressing room with its wall of windows and freshly cut flowers in a vase, the porch swing... just the serenity and beauty of it all. One felt like you had just arrived in a fairytale land far far away. It's hard to feel, in a place and event that wonderful, that you could even begin to do it justice in photographs.

Not only was the setting amazing, but just being around Leah and Ryan made you feel wonderful. Even after years of being with one another they hold tightly to their friendship and fun with one another. They look at one another like two people who have just discovered love for the first time. And to top it off, they are--honestly--some of the most patient, wonderful, loving, laidback, attentive, and fun parents I have ever come across and their little Maddie Bell knows without a doubt in the world that her parents love her beyond life itself. Their wedding truly was just a wonderful celebration of the joining of two lives and we felt really priviliged to share in it with them.