"I'm pretty excited about celebrating the woman I love on Valentine's Day. You are a dream come true, a vision that dances not just in my head but in my arms."

Not to be a stalker or anything, but this is what Caleb posted on Valentines day to Facebook, just two weeks after I was able to document their beautiful day. This was my first wedding of the year, and the first wedding that the bride and groom danced during the first look! It was absolutely precious. There are four things that I noticed that Caleb and Katherine are really good at: 1) Dancing. 2) Kissing. 3) Smiling. 4) The DIP kiss. You will get to see all of this in the following pictures. 
 

How they met: 

     (Katherine)
Lol. I love telling people about how Caleb and I met. Mostly because I have been told a miriad of things over the years of how to find a great spouse, most of it unsolicited advice that people seem to feel free to express once a girl passes her 24th birthday because that clearly shows she doesn't know how to find a man on her own :). My favorites include...."just walk around in the Jesus book section", and "why don't you combine your interests and read your bible on the top of a mountain...that way, guys will know you are outdoorsy and love jesus" or "why don't you just go live in some hippie compound with a bunch of other Christians your age....that increases your chances". Well, I didn't follow that advice, but I did go rock climbing at an indoor event center on April 15th, 2013. I was with a group of friends and didn't know all of them, so I started introducing my self.....

        (Caleb)
Little did she know, an intrepid stranger was minding his own business and standing in line for rock climbing, when the super friendly fellow in front of him turned and said "Hi! I'm Rob! Glad you could join us!" And so, I was inducted into this loose knit group of musician friends. It didn't take long for me to notice the tall, friendly beauty with the warm smile and sweet voice. Katherine introduced herself with the warmth and confidence of a southern belle. I was trying to play it cool... but I definitely chose to climb the routes closest to this girl and took every opportunity to share conversation. I noticed that she was quite the climber and I was impressed at her courage and determination. After climbing all the beginner and medium routes, she walked over to the agressive practice area and picked her next challenge. Unlike climbing other runs which had autobelay devices, to climb this route, Katherine would need a partner to hold the other end of the rope while she climbed. I "happened" to be "conveniently nearby" when she started looking for a partner, and I soon found myself rather "attached" to this rare treasure of a woman.

So maybe they didn't meet in the Jesus book section, but it was so obvious to me and hopefully everyone else how much love for each other and for God these two have. From a photographer's perspective I can usually get a pretty good idea of how long a marriage is going to last during the day of the wedding. How two people handle stress, how much love and support they have around them, how much they include God in their relationship, and how undeniable their love for each other is. I have gotten scary accurate, and let me tell you - These two will be together forever. 
 

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I have people ask me, does the first look take away from the ceremony? Answer: NOPE. Look at this guy's face :) 

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And how sweet is this? After he put the ring on her finger he kissed it! That is a gentleman in love, my friends. 

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The reception decorations were fantastic. Katherine went for a woodsy-vintage-tea party theme! Every tea pot was different and they all had florals. Even the cups! To go with the china and flowers were old books like the Psalms of David. 

smithwedding-71 smithwedding-72 smithwedding-73 smithwedding-74 smithwedding-75 Studmuffins :) The sign above said "Take one, I've already got mine!" 

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A little photobombing

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THIS guy!

smithwedding-91 smithwedding-92 smithwedding-93 smithwedding-94 smithwedding-95 smithwedding-96 smithwedding-97 smithwedding-98 A fantastic action shot, if I do say so myself. 

smithwedding-99 smithwedding-103 smithwedding-105 smithwedding-106 So, they may have had a teeny bit of coaching from yours truly but I thought this shot turned out wonderful and it looked totally spontaneous! 

smithwedding-107 smithwedding-108 When all else fails, go butt first. Haha! There were so many streamers!

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Caterer - Shell Catering
Church - Central Presbyterian Church
Hair and Makeup - Lindsey Snyder
Florist - June Jennings (Fantastic floral arrangements EVERYWHERE. I mean, there were bouquets in the bathroom and outside!)
Bride Cake - Randi Lynne Durham
Grooms Studmuffins - Brianna and Pam Simmons. 
Videography - Stephen Durham
Musicians - Katie and Sara Ferren (In case you read this, I thought you two were amazing. I wanted to start a band with you.)
Officiant - Neal Nelson
Sound Technician - Blake Hayes