Mazvita and I met years ago. I was quickly absorbed into a group that constantly gathered into Memorial Union almost daily. Over the years, Mazvita and I became closer as we grew together--in God, in life, in talking about our newest crushes. Though she was the same age as I was, Mazvita graduated the year before I did but stayed in town and we kept in touch. The next year my family gave me a DSLR camera for graduation from college in 2007 and I instantly fell in love. The next thing you know I was taking pictures of everything I could find:
Nature and campgrounds from a beautiful camp where we were performing located at Lake Michigan
Burned remains of a gas station on the side of the highway (like a good, aspiring photojournalist)
A friend's baby shower
Then, finally, my first wedding. (This is where Mazvita really comes in). Mazvita brought me as her date to Mahaley and Dustin's wedding (Mahaley and Dustin were a part of the same Memorial Union group). They already had a photographer booked and I checked with both they and their photographer to see if it was okay if I pretended to be a wedding photographer for the day. I promised to stay out of the paid wedding photographer's way and told them that I had no idea what I was doing but wanted to see if taking photos at a wedding was something I could do. (For serious, I had no idea what aperture or RAW or shutter speed or even Manual shooting was. Thank the Lord for Nikon's great auto settings!) So I showed up the night of the rehearsal with my little Nikon D40X and realized quickly that for their church with no natural light at all, my little camera wasn't going to cut it as is (even then I refused to use onboard flash) so I made sure to grab my tripod the next day. Twenty-four hours and lots of running around later, I found that I was hooked on wedding photography. And to think that Mazvita was there for it all! (Dustin and Mahaley were sweet enough to give me a small check later after I gave them their pictures. They said they liked the photos better than their actual--very traditional old school--photographer's. What a compliment! I'm afraid I've come a long way since then!)
(Mary, Mahaley, me, & Mazvita the night of the rehearsal. All Memorial Union ladies whose names all, apparently, begin with letter M.)
Mazvita has always been so gorgeous!
Mazvita, Brian, and several other friends encouraged me through those first months as I took photos of everything imaginable and invited myself to weddings just to get practice! Brian and I were married shortly thereafter but Mazvita was always there to cheer me on. For quite awhile we had once-a-week lunch dates when I had a normal workday schedule and it was always amazing to sit with someone else going through similar things in life. Mazvita would always talk about her crushes and we'd always talk about the man she would marry someday. After awhile, a name kept popping up a little more than the others. There was this guy named Ben who, as Mazvita put it, "can totally handle my intensity." He had recently returned from Sudan where he'd been the last few years leading some teams for Samaritan's Purse. Mazvita had had a crush on him before he'd left for the Sudan the first time, but Ben never really seemed interested. He was a man strong in his faith and full of integrity and "intense", like Mazvita. Indeed, a few months later Brian and I were out on the town on a date and we ran into Mazvita and said Ben at Flat Branch Pub & Brewing. Alone. Together. At a restaurant. This was not like my Mazvita "guard your heart" Matsiga to be on a date at a restaurant alone with a guy, especially not having heard about it prior. I was suspicious and asked a few questions of Ben who generally appeared nervous. I asked him easy, light questions like, "So I heard you worked in Sudan for several years, what was it like? What is God doing in the midst of the chaos over there? Are you going back soon? What is your life's calling?" After some small chitchat and their buzzer going off that it was time for them to go inside, Brian and I left to find a different restaurant since it was packed that night. As we left, I remarked to Brian how odd that encounter was and how I was definitely going to have to follow up with Mazvita the next day.
Sure enough, I believe late that night, I get one of Mazvita's wonderful e-mails sent out to her girls with an excited, mostly capitalized, "BEN AND I ARE DATING, GIRLS!!!!"
A whirlwind of a courtship later and I get a call from Ben telling me he is proposing to Mazvita the next night and would I consider coming to The Rock (their campus ministry meeting) that next night where he will pop the question? He told me he'd also called Mazvita's best friend, Kate, to come in from St. Louis for the festivities so we could hide and wait outside with them until it was time to pop the big question. I told him I'd find an excuse to come and call Mazvita to warn her. A few minutes later, I call Mazvita to make up an excuse of us being in the neighborhood and could "The Rock" use any promo photos since we'll be coming from a family portrait shoot and, anyway we're doing a prayer thing that Monday that it'd be great to announce there if we can. She doesn't know if it's a possibility but I tell her I'll bring my camera anyway. Mazvita then becomes really quiet in her Mazvita-cuteness and says, "Mal, I think Ben's going to propose soon since he's been acting weird and thinks he's being sly in getting information on my ring so... will you be our photographer!?!?" I try to draw from my inner theater major and give it my best, "Mazvita, silly girl, why don't you wait until he proposes first," and try not to give a single hint that I know it's happening the NEXT day. We hung up the phone and I let out a sigh of relief. I don't think she noticed my trying to keep the secret.
So Brian and I showed up the next day for their proposal and I had my camera (and, against my will had to use my onboard flash, so don't kill me!). I documented and captioned it on facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2434527&id=15903279&l=4beb6b1c6d for those who either don't know Mazvita or missed it the first time.
Their day was gorgeous. They decided to delay the wedding long enough so that some of their great friends would be back in the country (Olivia, lady, I'm looking at you, Ms. Burkina Faso) and had one of the best bridal parties ever. Mazvita and Ben are both natural leaders in their community and among friends and boy do they love big! Mazvita has been helping to plan and coordinate (and pick dresses for since she worked at David's Bridal for years!) friends' weddings for years so it was great to see her finally do her own!
We talked a lot about texture and light being necessities for pictures early on in the game so I was delighted when she booked the Missouri Theater for their reception location. They brought in flavors of themselves for all aspects and Mazvita, of course, picked out a sassy color combination for the wedding (and picked totally rad centerpieces with goldfish bowls, goldfish, and rocks that all matched the colors!). One of her bridesmaids, Jessica, made all of the bridesmaids' jewelry. Mazvita's dad and his friend played some African drums to greet the guests at the reception to add a little Zimbabwe flavor to the festivities. The dance floor was always full since Mazvita is a dancer and most of her bridal party was, too!
Instead of putting together my normal montage, I will present to you a short sample album I put together of their wedding. A little flavor of the new couple. Colorful, sassy, and amazing. = )
