aimee & helen’s wedding // guemes island, wa
Once again, a wedding with two people in love who I immediately fell in love with… it’s easy to do with these two, I promise.
Aimee & Helen’s wedding was held at the resort on Guemes Island… their wedding was a perfect reflection of them; outdoorsy, quirky & full of surprises (arriving to walk down the aisle by seaplane? you certainly don’t see that every day!), ridiculously fun, with good beer & full of folks in love, where every guest was comfortably shacked up in the beachside cabins, and along with love & friendship, we were surrounded by sunshine, wind & sea. We were an island of love, with Aimee & Helen as the soil & the rock that held us all in place.
It’s no secret that I’m in love with the couples that hire me to be their wedding photographer… and sometimes that love is very mutual, and an easy friendship develops along with the film from their day. This is especially true with Aimee & Helen, and it’s no surprise really. Their wedding was so intimate, so loving, and so focused on the value of friendship that I would have to be a martian not to be included into their circle of love… and to be honest, even as a martian I think I’d be welcomed with open arms.
Since their wedding, we’ve maintained a healthy texting relationship that sometimes seems our fate since we all have such conflicting schedules. But I’ve seen them a few times since then; most notably when I joined them on a cold winter morning—Decemember 9th 2012—with family & friends & neighbors and with full hearts & bellies, where they made their wedding official in the eyes of Washington state, on the very first day that same-sex couples could lawfully marry. It was barely two months since their wedding ceremony, but it proved to be more emotional than I think any of us were prepared for, and I’m so happy that I got to be there, along with Madeline, whose luck in life is that she gets to be witness to such an important time in our state’s history.
Also since their wedding they met our dog Ella, who sadly passed away soon after, and they surprised us with having her portrait commissioned by a painter {view here}… I just got to see it for the first time recently (and bawled my eyes out, believe me!), and couldn’t believe the thoughtfulness & generosity of these two. I still can’t. When I see Ella’s smiling face looking back at me while I go about my day, I am so filled with love & humility, and so much gratitude to have people like Aimee & Helen in my life.
I’d like to thank my girl Jenny Wohrle for being my rad second photographer at this wedding… she is like, my twin, so it worked out perfectly! If you’d like, you can view their fun-loving engagement photos {here}…. we had a picnic in the park, complete with canoes & beer! And you can also see their photos featured on the LGBT wedding blog A Bicycle Built For Two {here}, which is a feature that I’m so honored to have… and to properly sum it all up, I’d love for you to see their photo that I shared on the day that they were married by the power invested by Washington State {here}. There are so many beautiful days & moments that I’ve been lucky enough to share with Aimee & Helen… I feel absolutely honored that they chose me to be their wedding photographer, and even more so that they have welcomed me into their world as their friend.
{originally posted at CALIMA Portraits}