Quincy Area Bridal Magazine Issue 25 | Page 13

LOVE

from Stephanie

I always tell people , when Chuck and I met ( the second time ) neither of us ever thought we would end up together . We had met years before , but a selfie I took in 2020 lead to a response from Chuck and through that one fateful message our friendship bloomed . We learned quickly that we had many things in common , our love for our children and family , our passion for the best team in baseball ( Go Cardinals !), and most importantly , our love language ! It was amazing to know that we both desire closeness with one another . It ’ s definitely why our love feel so natural .
Chuck proposed on what I thought was a Black Friday trip to St . Louis . He wanted to go to Busch Stadium for some shopping , little did I know what he had in store . We walked to Home Plate entrance ( where he had a photographer hiding ) and when I turned around I found him down on one knee . He spoke the sweetest words , calling my heart his home , and once he asked the big question , I cried “ Yes !” Our wedding day was simple and beautiful . Our children , immediate family , and a few close friends gathered for an intimate ceremony on a peninsula . Under the weeping branches of a lovely willow tree we said our “ I do ’ s ”. We wandered through a sunflower field for our bridal portraits and then came together with more family and friends to eat cake , celebrate and dance the night away ! Whenever I ask Chuck what his favorite moment of the day was he always says , when he saw me for the first time walking down the aisle to him . For me there are two special moments . The first is Chuck ’ s remarkable vows . The way he put our love story into words was overwhelming . The second moment was my mother-son dance with my little love Sammy . We danced and twirled our way through the song “ I Get To Love You ” and I will never forget whispering those sweet lyrics to him as I held him close .
When a photographer gets married , we know a lot of people in the wedding industry . Photographers are show runners , we don ’ t just take your photos , we help the day run smoothly . We work with videographers , officiants , DJ ’ s , event staff and wedding coordinators to make sure every detail is taken care of . We want the bridal couple to relax and enjoy , afterall it ’ s only one day and it goes by so quickly . Because this is my experience with weddings , we were friends with many of our vendors .
The two most important and yet easiest decisions for us were our officiant and photographer . We love the wisdom and passion John Mitchell , Worship Leader at The Crossing , displays for Jesus Christ . When we reached out and asked if he would do the honor of marrying us , he didn ’ t hesitate . We were thrilled to know he would be guiding us through our day ! As for our photographer , I only had eyes for one professional . Elizabeth with E . Three Photography is one of my best girls . We have worked together and known each other for over a decade and watching her grow into the amazing photographer she is today has been awesome to witness . I had asked her to be my photographer before I was even engaged , so she knew I ’ d come to her when Chuck proposed . I said “ Yes to my Dress !” at “ Girls in White Satin ”.
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