Lauren Wakefield

Matt and Mallory are the type of people that when you meet…you instantly want to be friends with.  They are fun…sweet…hilarious…and so, so in love.  I remember meeting them together for the first time and I could instantly see what was so special between them.  And their wedding day was no different.  Mallory was the most gorgeous bride…and even when rain and very scary looking storm was sure to threaten her day…she was never anything but completely happy.  Because a little rain wasn’t going to change the fact that she got to marry her best friend.  Her other half.  And the one guy in this whole world that makes her happier than anyone else.

 

As I walked to my car at the end of the night…I felt like I was leaving a friend’s wedding.  Not one second of their day felt like a job…but just good times spent with old friends.  Every person there felt like family and seeing all the love around them…made me realize even more what makes Matt and Mallory so special.

 

Matt and Mallory….Thank you so much for letting me be such a special part of your day!  It was truly perfect (rain and all!).  I know you guys are going to have such a happy life and I can’t wait to see it all unfold!  I love you guys to death!!!!!!

 

Just when we thought the storm had rained us out…we got the most gorgeous sunset!  Perfect ending for a perfect couple.  🙂

As usual…an ENORMOUS thank you to my second shooter, Tami Paige, for being my trusty side-kick.  Couldn’t have done this without her!

Yesterday when I posted part one of our wedding photos I had every intention of just doing one post.  But as I started picking out that photos that just would have been impossible.  It’s seriously like I love every single one.  Choosing was next to impossible.  So when I ended up with 253 photos that I just HAD to post…it was either crash my blog or divide them up.  So today…as promised…is part two from our amazing day.

 

I can’t say enough times how impossible this day would have been without all the help from my family and friends.  They not only flew to another country to be at our wedding but then were willing to get to work as soon as they got there.  Almost everyone had a job and honestly on April 25th when I saw it all come together…I almost died.  So I wanted to take a minute to personally thank all the people that made it happen.

 

• Mom…I think that phrase ‘thanks for everything’ is very appropriate here.  You made the whole process of planning a wedding so fun.  You were the first to help with anything I needed and never once made me feel like I was crazy for some of my…let’s be honest…crazy ideas.  And once we got to Antigua…you made things happen like a pro!!!  Taking care of the late night food, coordinating with all our helpers, renting cars, tearing down all the decorations, ironing my veil for 4 hours straight, dealing with all our vendors so I didn’t have to worry about it…and making me feel like the luckiest daughter in the world!  
• Cara…you took something that I didn’t even know was possible and made all my wedding dreams come true.  From countless hours on the phone breaking down every foot of lights and inch of table…to keeping me so incredibly on top of things through this whole process.  And not to mention flying down to Antigua for not even 48 hours so you could be there on my special day!  You turned dust into diamonds and when I walked into Shirley Heights on my wedding day it literally took my breath away.  You worked your a$$ off to make my day absolutely perfect and I will never be able to thank you enough.  Having you and Shane there meant everything.  I am so grateful for both of you and feel so lucky to have such an amazing wedding planner as a best friend! (If anyone wants to think outside the box and have a wedding that is truly one-of-a-kind…Cara is your girl.  Check our her site, Murphy & Co…you won’t be sorry!!)
• Dad…I know this wedding took about 5 years off your life…but just know your little girl got the wedding of her dreams.  Having you walk me down the aisle was just like I imagined and your speech blew everyone away.  You nailed it.  Thanks for being the first real man in my life and being the best dad a girl could ask for.
• Sid (muffin)…You 100% deserve the title of ‘Maid of Honor of the decade.’  From my veil to my belt to all the chalkboards to our thoughtful gifts to my bachelorette party to doing mine and everyone else’s hair…you took care of anything I needed I can’t thank you enough for that.  You were there every step of the way and I will never forget getting to plan this wedding with you.  Thank you for wearing so many hats so effortlessly…I love you sooooooooooo much muffin.  
• Kasey…I sometimes can’t believe how lucky I am that I get a sister-in-law like you.  You made everything about my wedding so much fun and I can’t thank you enough for making me feel so special.  Thank you for the best bachelorette party ever…the most perfect rehearsal dinner I could have ever imagined…a killer speech…and being such an amazing Matron of Honor.  You are truly the best!!!  Love you!
• Josh…Thanks for not pushing Gary off of Shirley Heights.  My future children thank you.  😉  But seriously…you made the whole week in Antigua such a blast and really stepped up when I needed you.  Thanks for helping with all the set-up at Shirley Heights…and driving everyone back and forth…for an amazing rehearsal dinner…and totally nailing your speech.  You’re not too shabby in the brother department.  
• Shannon…Thank you for making this whole process so much fun.  You made Gary and I feel so special and it meant so much to us to have you there.  Thank you for all your help with everything…and for organizing one of the best moments ever…the flash mob.  That is something I will most definitely never forget.  Love you!!!
• Aaron…Thank you for being an amazing Best Man to Gary.  You were so on top of everything and I never had to worry about a thing.  We had such a blast with you all week and just like I said to Shannon…thank you for our flash mob.  Seriously one of the best moments ever!!!
• Stef…Thank you for nailing your role as a fun facilitator…that bus was rockin’.  And don’t forget you will always hold the title as Team Spirit award winner.  😉  But seriously…thanks for being such a great bridesmaid and friend…and for making my wedding and entire trip to Antigua so much fun.  It meant so much to have you there!!!
• Stacy…Let’s be honest…you owned the hanging of the lights.  Thank you for being the first to take care of whatever I needed…and making my whole wedding day so easy.  I had SO MUCH fun with you and am so thankful you were there.  Thanks for being such an awesome bridesmaid…love you bud!!! #youknowwhat
• Lola…Thank you for making our ceremony one-of-a-kind.  It was absolutely perfect and I couldn’t imagine anyone else marrying us.  Thank you for all your help with everything and loving us enough to make our day wedding truly perfect.  We are so lucky to have you in our lives!!!
• Scott…Thanks for being our resident DJ.  The music was perfect and completely made the night.  From the flash mob to the serious face dance-offs…you owned it.  And Annie…thank you SOOOO incredibly much with all your help setting up.  You were a lifesaver.  Love you both!!!!
• Katie…What you did with those flowers still blows my mind.  You made my wedding so incredibly beautiful and I will probably be thanking you for the next 10 years.  You gave so much of your time and very obvious talent to make my day so special and I feel so so lucky!  Plus…you put on one heck of a rehearsal dinner.  Thank you thank you thank you!!!!
• Dave & Emma…Our Antiguan family. 🙂  Thank you for being our resident wedding planners and taking care and ANYTHING I needed.  Emma…you were so on top of it and took so much stress off of me!  And Dave…anything I needed…you made happen.  Thank you for the best airport welcome in the world…for single-handedly making this wedding happen…and for being such amazing friends!
• Barb, Terri & Pam…What would I have done without you guys!!!!  Thank you for being so willing to help wherever I needed it and being so incredibly awesome.  Pam…thank you for all your help with the flowers.  They were so amazing.  Barb & Terri…thank you for feeding us on the day of the wedding.  You guys are seriously the best!  I’m so lucky to have you all in my life!
• Matthew & Amie…Thank you for such an amazing rehearsal dinner.  It was truly unforgettable.  Matthew…it meant so much to have you there and Amie…you were 100% there in spirit.  I love you both and am so lucky to have you in my life!
• Buck & Tom…Tom, even through all your stressful travel you still managed to make it and have such a blast.  It meant so much to have you there.  And Buck…your letter brought down the house and made it feel like you were there.  It is something I will never forget!

 

Whew…sorry about that novel.  OK!  Onto the photos…

 

Everyone walked (or danced) down the aisle to “The Best Day of My Life”…which will forever be my favorite song.

Katharine placed one petal on the ground…and then was officially done with her flower girl duties.

This photo makes me so happy.  🙂

One of our best friends, Lola, officiated our ceremony and it was the greatest part of the day.   The laughter never stopped and it was so intimate and 100% us.  We got it all on video and I watch it probably once a week. 🙂

This moment right here sums it all up.

Gary’s vows were beyond perfect.  I think I’ll keep him.

Oh yeah…then Captain Dave fired the cannon and scared the you know what our of everyone.  Most priceless photo ever!

This little girl…

I have to take a second to talk about the decorations.  Shirley heights is basically a bare space.  The day before our wedding I left there with about 500 things that needed to get done.  And I was sure there was no possible way everything would come together like I had imagined it.  Then when I walked in about an hour before our wedding I literally almost fainted.  Between Cara Belvin (the most amazing wedding planner on the entire planet), Katie Kruse, all my bridal party and family and friends…they made it so magical.  It was straight out of a dream and I will never be able to thank them enough!

I can’t tell you how happy these pineapples make me.

My Maid of Honor, Sid, did all the chalkboards.  So so thankful for her!

When the sun set and all the market lights really got to make their appearance…it was honestly like something out of a dream.  So worth the 5 suitcases. 🙂

Our very, very good family friend/honorary uncle couldn’t be there so he sent a letter for someone to read.  It stole the show and brought everyone to laughter…and a lot of tears.  One of my favorite moments of the night for sure.

I wasn’t kidding about the laughter.

We took a little moment to say our thank you’s and let every person there know just how incredibly special they are to us.

One of my absolute favorite photos.

Three cheers for the best day ever.  Hip hip…

…hooray!!

My dad and I broke it down to a Meatloaf Medley that was pretty epic if I don’t say so myself.

And then Katharine wanted to join the party.

And then the flash mob happened.  One of the coolest moments ever!!!!!!!

The end…of the best. day. ever.

The wedding dream team:

Photography: Justin & Mary Marantz  |  Wedding Planner Extraordinaire: Cara Belvin – Murphy & Company  |  Venue: Shirley Heights  |  Flowers: Florexotica 

Bridesmaid Dresses: Etsy  |  DJ: Scott Dubbs  |  Hair: Sidne Hirsch  |  Makeup:  Me 

As a wedding photographer…it may seem obvious that I understand the importance of wedding photos.  I tell my clients over and over again the value of photography and how when it’s all said and done…photos are the tangible memories that you are left with.  And I believe that…with all my heart.  I have and always will think that photography is the most important part of a wedding day.  But what I never realized was how much I didn’t understand.  How I could have never possibly known how wedding photos could make a bride feel because I had never seen my own.

 

The morning after our wedding I sort of had to pinch myself because I couldn’t believe a day that perfect really happened.  I couldn’t believe all this planning and help from so many amazing friends and family really created a day so much greater than all my wildest dreams.  I was constantly trying to remember every moment so that not even one second was forgotten.  I wanted to bottle up that entire day and keep it with me forever.  As the days went on…I started to get this little ache in my chest because I wanted so badly to go back.  To relive it over and over again…to soak up every moment even more than I did before.  Some call it the wedding blues…but it wasn’t so much sadness as it was an overwhelming amount of happiness.

 

Then…a few days after we got home…I got an email from Mary.  One I wasn’t expecting for several more weeks and literally almost cried when I saw it.  Our wedding photos.  Every single amazing moment frozen in time.  Every second of the day captured so beautifully that even the simplest of photos brought tears to my eyes.  And that is when it really hit me.  Wedding photos do a lot of things.  They freeze memories.  They give us something to one day show our kids…and their kids…and their kids.  But what really got me the most…is they let us relive our most perfect day over and over and over again.  When I look through these photos…my whole body goes numb.  It’s like every single part of me is exploding with happiness.  With all the memories.  All the moments I didn’t even know were happening.  All the happiness.  And laughter.  And love.  SO.  MUCH.  LOVE.  It’s honestly a feeling that is indescribable and one that I will keep with me forever.

 

Yes…I’m a wedding photographer.  And I understand the importance of wedding photos.  But as a bride…I now understand exactly what they mean.  They mean absolutely everything.  This is and always will be the best day of my life…and these photos  are something that will be treasured for generations to come.

 

Justin and Mary…I honestly don’t know how I will ever be able to thank you enough.  Your talent literally blows my mind and I am eternally grateful that you were there to capture the best day of our lives.  You both are so incredibly special to me and I wish you could feel what I feel when I look at these photos.  I’m not a crier.  I didn’t cry once through our whole wedding day.  But I instantly get tears in my eyes when I look at these because you have captured something so special.  You captured the way my wedding day made me feel…and that is what will always set you apart.  They seem like such insignifigant words compared to how I feel….but thank you.  Thank you for being there.  Thank you for sharing your talent with the world.  And thank you for never letting me forget how truly special our day was.  

xoxo

The Truelocks

 

My maid of honor, Sidne, did almost everyone’s hair and ROCKED it!  Don’t know what I would do without her.

Sidne made my veil out of my mom’s veil.  Something old and something new.  It was perfect.

I have the most beautiful friends in the world…

The first night we met we stopped at a liquor store to pick up a case of beer…and we decided to get a bottle of tequila.  Gary went for a not-so-great brand and I grabbed a bottle of Cabo Wabo and told him that this bottle of tequila would change his life.  And I wasn’t kidding.  😉  So almost 5 years later it was only appropriate to give him another one on the day that would change both our lives forever.

Melts. My. Heart.  My two favs.

Well hello my handsome husband…

We stopped and took pictures at Falmouth Harbor…on the docks that made us fall in love with Antigua in the first place.  Can’t tell you how happy these pictures make me.

The fam.  <3

These ladies.  They made my day so incredibly perfect and I honestly don’t know how I can ever thank them!

Katharine…marching to the beat of her own drum.  🙂

 

Stay tuned tomorrow for part two.  Trust me…it only gets better from here!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The wedding dream team:

Photography: Justin & Mary Marantz  |  Wedding Planner Extraordinaire: Cara Belvin – Murphy & Company  |  Venue: Shirley Heights  |  Flowers: Florexotica 

Bridesmaid Dresses: Etsy  |  DJ: Scott Dubbs

Brandon…

 

If I could have created the perfect guy for Sara…he wouldn’t have come close to how amazing of a man you are for her.  You light her up in a way that only certain people can and it literally brings tears to my eyes to know she gets to spend the rest of her life with someone like you.  Getting to know you over these last several years has been a treat to say the least…but nothing will ever compare to watching you marry my best friend.  The look in your eyes when you saw her for the first time.  The tears that showed the whole world how much this girl means to you.  And the forever that you get to spend with a truly special lady.  Sara is someone that I hold so incredibly close to my heart…and there is no greater feeling than knowing she has found someone equally as close to hers.  Thank you for being the man she deserves…and someone I am so lucky to call a friend.

 

Sara…

 

They say your friends are the family you chose…and I’m so proud to have you as part of mine.  I wish you could see yourself through my eyes…because you are one of the most remarkable people I have ever met.  You’re kind, generous, selfless…and so, so beautiful.  Your strength is something I aspire to and your friendship is something that I will always treasure.  I could never picture your future husband because in my head no one could live up to the man I thought you deserved.  Until I met Brandon.  Seeing you two together makes everything seem right in the world.  Like you are exactly where you belong and you have someone that will always make you feel like home.  There aren’t words to tell you how happy I am that you found your happily ever after.  There’s no doubt in my min that friends like you are once in a lifetime…and I hope you never forget that.

 

Photographing one of your best friend’s wedding is quite possibly the best thing ever.  Between the laughter and tears I managed to document a truly magical day.  One that I will never forget…and I know Sara and Brandon won’t either.  Feast your eyes on this emotional, gorgeous, hilariously fun wedding…it’s one for the books.  (***warning….there are LOTS of photos.  Grab a Starbucks and settle in. 🙂 ***)

 

Love these girls soooooooooooo much!

 

A ENORMOUS HUGE GIGANTIC thank you to Ben Elsass for driving to Kentucky and second shooting with me.  I couldn’t have done it without him!!!!

And a huge thanks to all the vendors that made this day happen:

Venue: Buffalo Trace Distillery  |  Catering: Masterson’s  |  Florist: Blooms  |  Band/DJ: Tim Licktig  |  Cake: Red Head Custom Cakes  |  Makeup: Simply Makeup  |  Hair: Sidne Hirsch