I had the pleasure to meet with Sam and Shelby at the LGBT Wedding Expo last year, showcasing my work as an LGBT wedding photographer. Although we had very little time to connect and chat, due to the huge crowd, we clicked so well and became instant friends. Before they even booked me, we got together for double dinner dates and nights out. They even introduced me to Electric Cowboy (which did not disappoint!) for a night of drinks and country dancin’! 🙂
While I was full speed booking last year, Sam texted me with urgency:
“WE NEED TO BOOK YOU FOR OUR MARCH WEDDING! YOU’RE GETTING BOOKED UP!!!”
And so we did. Little did we know, months of planning would be interrupted by a virus and plans would be postponed.
There was less than a month when COVID-19 broke through and started spreading across the globe. Nobody has ever been in such a situation and we were all devastated by the outcome. Weddings were getting rescheduled one by one all over the globe and in DFW, we were waiting for when it would hit us. Just one more week before Sam and Shelby’s wedding, officials started advising to postpone weddings and other events, to prevent mass gatherings and promote social distancing. Sam and Shelby had to make a hard decision and postpone their wedding and instead do an in-home ceremony with less than 10 people and I’m so glad they did! They were not expecting me to show up, but they hold such a dear place in my heart, I knew they’d appreciate having memories from this unusual situation!
It was probably the quickest wedding ceremony. There were no “getting ready” or “bridal party” photos and once I arrived, I literally walked in with my cameras to start photographing without setting anything.
Phones were ready to cast this mini celebration on Facebook.
And even though it was not quite the same as Sam and Shelby planned, their celebration was still perfect! Intimate, full of love and joy, surrounded by their loved ones (along with the rest online!)…
Tribute to Sam’s mommy was one of the sweetest details of the day.
And of course, we had to do some portraits! I think the portraits are my favorite time of any wedding day. We get to laugh, spend time together and create beautiful memories for my couple to cherish for a lifetime!
I love how goofy Sam and Shelby are together! 🙂 That’s probably one of the reasons we all got along so well – because of our “crazies” match! 🙂 Ahhh… I can’t wait to have another get together with you ladies!
Of course, we also had to do “the awkward but so much fun” wedding party photos 🙂 You can tell, they had FUN! 😀
Sam and Shelby, I’m so thankful to have you ladies in our life and I can’t wait for your big day to celebrate you for a full day! You two are amazing humans and deserve the best of everything. I’m so grateful for the decisions you made to keep yourselves, your families and loved ones, us, and all your other wedding vendors safe and healthy. It was probably one of the hardest decisions and I just wanted to give you the biggest mama bear hug on the phone – but you are amazing and we will have THE CELEBRATION you planned for <3 (You two will also get your mama bear hugs with interest! 😉 )
Love wins again! <3
Until next time,
Tara
