Elizabeth & Nick | Shenandoah Mill Wedding
The theme of Elizabeth and Nick's beautiful wedding day was this: honor, courage, and commitment. And lots and lots of LOVE!
Liz and Nick met a few years ago when they both worked at Bass Pro Shops and Liz remembers that they had an instant connection. It wasn't long until Nick knew he wanted to marry her and even though he had already swept Liz off her feet, he knew he wanted to propose to her in the most romantic way possible. First, he designed a ring that incorporated Liz's favorite element, the infinity design. It also incorporated the exact ring that his grandfather proposed to his grandmother with, keeping the original yellow gold and intertwining it with Liz's favorite, white gold, and let me tell you, it is so beautiful and you can see how much it means to Liz when she tells the story. Then he planned a perfect anniversary date which included renting a brand new sports car, early morning horse back riding, and lake hopping across Arizona. They ended the day at a gorgeous waterfall at Woods Canyon where he got down on one knee and asked Liz to be his wife!
Their wedding day began at a beautiful church in Phoenix, and because Nick is in the US Navy, the newlyweds exited the church by stepping through a traditional sword arch which was made up of Nick's family members who are also servicemen. The celebrations moved to Shenandoah Mill in Gilbert, AZ and it was a true family affair! Both Liz and Nick's parents and siblings were all so sweet and welcoming, and along with the majority of friends and family being servicemen and servicewomen, I also found out that they're all very musically inclined! They had a twenty-piece 1940's band playing classics at their reception and, man, was it impressive! One of my favorite parts of the night was the toasts that Liz's sister and Nick's brother made. The common theme was that Liz and Nick are one of the most committed couples ever, no matter the distance that they've had to go through during Nick's military training, and that distance has only made their relationship stronger. Of course, as an older brother, Nick's best man also passed around the most embarrassing childhood photo that he could find, because while this family means business, they've also got jokes! And, all in the name of love, the new husband and wife were happy to share their special day with everyone, and they even lent a helping hand to Nick's brother in another surprise proposal that night (his girlfriend said yes of course!).
My hope with every wedding that I photograph and every couple that I meet is that they'll feel special and important, and by the end of the night I could tell that I had made new friends. There were lots of hugs going around when I was leaving, and it's funny because Liz and Nick and their friends and family made me feel like I was just as special and important as the bride and groom. They've already begun a new journey and chapter of their married life as Liz joined Nick where he's stationed, and while they may be far from their families now, they're together and they're finding their new home in each other.
Liz & Nick, thank you for making me feel like family, and I wish you all the love and joy in your new life as husband and wife! Stay in touch because you two are amazing!
Vendor Team:
VENUE: Shenandoah Mill
BRIDAL GOWN: David's Bridal
1940s BAND: Sonoran Swing
DJ: Patrick Riedlinger, My Platinum Day