Outdoor Indiana Wedding Photography, Part II

One of life’s great pleasures is what we experience. The things we do and the memories we make outlast any of our material possessions. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun to enjoy nice things, but at the end of our life, we won’t be reminiscing over what we owned. We’ll relive experiences that felt surreal at the time. Whitney and Josh’s outdoor wedding is one of those experiences that must have felt very surreal to them and live in their memories forever.

Josh’s expression is priceless as he sees his bride for the first time.

Their “first look” session.

The first blog post (here in case you missed it) showed the excitement of getting ready for the big day. Toasts with friends, applying make up, pinning on boutonnieres, and a beautiful dress waiting to be stepped into.

This post is more about the unique love Josh and Whitney share. They were introduced to each other by a mutual friend at a golf tournament. Josh remembers, “I couldn’t stop thinking about this beautiful woman I had met, and once I heard she was single, I jumped at the opportunity to get together to play some golf. After a few times, I finally asked her on a real date. The rest is history.”

As we walked the grounds of her parents property, I noticed how their energies worked together. Every time they looked at one another there was a light that shone on their faces. When I saw the shot below, I knew it would tell the story to perfection!

Josh knew how much Whitney loves her childhood home and all of the good times that come with it. He couldn’t think of a better place to ask her to make the transition to become his wife. And when the weather cleared up after a bout of rain he talked her into going out for a walk on her parents’ property to let their dog, Baxter, run around and explore as they walked through the woods.

“Little did she know, I had planned to propose in the very woods that helped shape her into the amazing woman she is,” said Josh.

“I had no idea, I just thought we were getting some exercise and enjoying the outdoors. But we stopped, Josh started asking me questions that led into a marriage proposal; I couldn’t have been any more shocked or happy,” exclaimed Whit.

Josh mentioned, “It was awesome, her parents were there; we got to have this special and intimate moment with two of the most important people in her life in a place that will forever hold a special place in her heart.”

Reflecting back on the wedding day is a time full of emotion as you look through your photographs together and talk about what you remembered the most. “I don’t know if I can pick one part of our wedding as our favorite, ” said Whitney. “Getting ready with all of my girls was so much fun. Music has been such a big part of my life; hearing all of the songs in celebration of us made me so happy, I can’t stop replaying our playlist. But I have to say, the best part was simply officially being one with my man in the eyes of God and the law.”

Josh’s favorite part of the wedding day was turning around to face all their family and friends as husband and wife for the first time. He also values the ritual of combining his family (with his two girls) with Whit as one.

Whitney: “One of the things I find most endearing about my husband is his non-judgmental outlook on life and others. He understands different people handle things different ways and isn’t bothered by it, in fact, he embraces it. Josh also doesn’t know a stranger, his ability to strike a conversation with any and everyone is astounding. He has such a warm, inviting smile that I love waking up to every morning. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. But the thing I find most endearing is his love for his two girls. Hailey and Zooey are lucky to have a dad who cares as much as he does, he would give them the world if he could.”

A new family begins.

Josh: “If I had to narrow it down to just three things endearing about Whit; the first would be her heart. She is the most kind person I have ever known, she’s always looking out for the well-being of those around her. She is also the most loving person, there is nothing about her that is less than unconditional. The next would be her faith in both God and our love. She puts both of those things at the top of her life and I couldn’t be more thankful for it. She is truly amazing.”