Jay Eads Photography

Some weddings go perfectly, birds chirping, sun shining… like a storybook dream. Some weddings see torrential downpours last minute. Jamie and Cole got the latter. However, as we in the northwest have become accustomed to having our eyes open for, there’s always a silver lining on those rain clouds. The wedding was beautiful and would have been just as beautiful without the rain making an appearance, however, there’s an aspect of this wedding that is hard to communicate in pictures. I’ll try to explain why I felt their day was so special.

Jamie and Cole had an outdoor orchard venue with 400+ people. This is a combination that requires sunThe night before, the rains rolled in. The night before they found an indoor venue. The morning of the wedding, Jamie and Cole’s 15+ friends went into action, transforming a bare room into a beautiful reception location. Decorating, cleaning, driving back and forth across town, all with joyful smiles. This would be enough to drive most brides out of their minds, but I watched Jamie handle it with grace. She was all smiles, as was Cole. I have no doubt that they would have preferred 80 degrees, and the wedding would have been beautiful with or without rain. Plus, life certainly would have been simpler with clear skies… however, they could never have experienced the same depth of love from their community of friends without rain.

So, brides to be, take a note from these two. All of the details for your day are important – they all come together to create the wedding day – but they can also all go wrong. I’ve seen it all, and I’m married, so I’ve experienced it firsthand. Ultimately, the only detail that matters in the long run is marrying the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with. Muddy dress and all.

Jamie and Cole, you inspire me. Thank you for having me.

VENUE – PRIVATE RESIDENCE

EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL UNTIL WE WALKED BACK FROM THEIR PORTRAITS. THEN THIS HAPPENED.

WE HAD A LITTLE TROUBLE WITH THE SERIOUS PICTURES

THEY KISSED… AND THEN THIS HAPPENED.

THEY EXITED TO A SMALL HOUSE ON THE PROPERTY AND JUST COLLAPSED ON THE COUCH. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE EXHAUSTION FROM LAST MINUTE PLANS, COUPLED WITH THE EXHILARATION OF BEING MARRIED. POISE, MY FRIENDS. YOU SHOWED POISE.

SOMETIMES THE BEST MAN BUSTS OUT A MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT BODY CARD.

JAMIE’S NIECE GAVE ONE OF THE BEST SPEECHES OF ALL TIME, STARTING SHY AND QUICKLY MOVING INTO MULTIPLE, UNSTOPPABLE VERSES OF HER FAVORITE SUNDAY SCHOOL SONGS. “JUST ONE MORE TIME!”

THEIR GUESTBOOK CONSISTED OF THESE HUGE PRINTS OF TREE RINGS, WHICH I CAN THINK OF MANY WONDERFUL ANALOGIES FOR

 

THANKS TO TRISH LAVER FOR SHOOTING WITH ME!

“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.”
— Annie Leibovitz

Miranda is one of the very first people I photographed, professionally, and in many ways, gave me more than I could ever repay through her word-of-mouth support. I’m hoping you can see the joy she gives off. I’m hoping you can see how much Miranda and Trevor love each other. And more than anything, I hope these images can act as a small repayment of the debt I owe one of my favorite people in the world.

I put the quote from Annie above for a couple reasons. First, it is one of the ways I conduct my business and find connections with my subjects. I want my photographs to be more than pretty, and more than technically sound. I want images that show the personalities of the people in them. Developing temporary, platonic crushes on my clients allows me to get there with much greater regularity than if I were to simply look for good light. I’m always searching for the little quirks and unique qualities that their friends and family love about them. Second, I absolutely fell in love with these two as a couple, so it felt appropriate. I had high hopes and expectations for Trevor, since I have known Miranda for so long, and with a very happy heart I can say he met every qualification you would want for your friend to find in a spouse. I don’t talk this way often, however, it sure seems like these two were made for each other. (even if Miranda has the good common sense to be a Duck fan, and Trevor roots for the Huskies)

Allow yourself to feel the emotion and get lost in their day. “Honk if you think the bride is cute.”

venue – MT. PISGAH ARBORETUM

Washington Oregon WashingtonSO MUCH MORE AFTER THE JUMP
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