paula + kris, married in seattle | portland wedding photographers

I remember one of Paula's first emails to me, sent before we met in person. At the end, she added "by the way, Kris and I are in our early 50's - just so you won't be looking for a couple of youngsters.". This made me giggle. The wedding industry has primed us to believe that weddings are only beautiful, only blog-able, shareable, viable if they take place at a gorgeous barn in a wide open field of daisies and unicorns, between two twenty-something fresh-faced model-material people in the throes of young love. Actually working this job has taught me something so different. Love comes in all shapes and sizes. Perfect and imperfect, smooth and rough, tall and short, different and the same.

And you know what? It's been incredible. Honestly. I wouldn't trade this variety for anything. Love is not one size fits all. And, know what? That's why it makes this crazy, mixed-up world of ours go 'round.

So I met P + K, and they told me their story. And what an incredible story it is. They fell madly in love, dated in college, and ultimately broke up and lost touch. Years and year later (30+, I believe?), they ran into each other at a couple family events, and things have never been the same since. He proposed to her on the same beach they frequented in college, 30 years later. They even have a photo from each date to prove it.

Seeing the way these two are together gave me a whole new perspective on what love can truly be. Patient. Kind. Powerful. Loooooong-awaited. If you don't believe me, just take a look at Kris' face when he sees Paula for the first time on their wedding day. That look? Says it all.

in limbo | pacific northwest photographers

This blog post is very late in coming, but, well, toddlerhood.

Due to some unexpected (or partially expected) delays in our move to Portland, we spent some time living with my parents in Poulsbo back in September.

Oh, didn't you know? We're in Portland now! More on that later.

Anyway, we spent almost a month living at my parents' house, and while the thought of being back at your childhood home may make some of you cringe, I found so much to treasure during our stay. First off, my parents are cool. Second, having four extra hands to help care for Lailah was a godsend. They're not joking when they say it takes a village to raise a child. We spent the month cooking, baking, working, and playing, and I will always look back fondly on that time.

Being rootless for a moment was an oddly freeing experience. The three of us were reduced to one suitcase and a couple duffle bags. We ate, drank and wore what was available to us at the time. We didn't fuss about furniture, lamps, or whether this throw or that would look so good with our sofa color. Don't get me wrong, I love creating and decorating whatever space we live in, but the simplicity of that month was incredibly satisfying. So, when we finally made it down to Portland and began unpacking all of our boxes, I did some soul searching. As each box revealed its contents, I asked myself-- do we really need this? In the month+ that we have gone without this, have I thought about it once? Is this essential to our happiness? Our wellbeing? Our journey through life? Most of the time, the answer was no. So, we found a new home for a decent portion of our belongings. Now, our 800sqf home feels like a palace, and we are happy.

Let's face it, you guys, life isn't about possessions. Totally novel concept, I know.
It's about moments. 
And bubbles.

Coming soon, more on the Portland move, and some photos of rad people getting married.