When I think of Lois & Vincent, I remember so vividly the laughter and smiles that ensued throughout their wedding day! :) I’m happy to share them as my first blog of 2018! 

These two met back when they were in Junior High! They went to the same church and were in the same Sunday School! But it wasn’t until college that they really began talking! You might remember some of their story from their engagement blog! 

Since then, these two have flourished in their relationship, and seeing their relationship over just the time that I’ve known them, it’s awesome to see what an impact they make on their community! Which is why I’m excited to be sharing the beautiful day they became one! :)

It was a warm day with blue skies and even once I arrived, there was so much hustle and bustle getting things ready and together with smiles all around! Lois & Vincent had a wonderful team from CCL Weddings working hard and I was beyond impressed by the customization of everything they had done! 

By the time I arrived, Lois was already ready and promptly waiting for everything to begin! She looked beautiful in her BHLDN gown! One of my favorite parts of her outfit, though, was her blue suede shoes. They were a gorgeous touch to her outfit and color scheme! 

Lois was super excited to see Vincent, and I was ready, too! There’s always laughter with these two, so I was excitedly waiting for the joy to instantly spread! Lois’s excitability is something Vincent particularly loves! :)

“I love how excitable Lois can be. Recently, we decided to try a plant-based diet together as a couple for my own health reasons, and she was so excited and started to look up yummy recipes–needless to say, her cooking has been amazing! I love how her personality shines in all her communication: Her regular use of happy emojis and exclamation marks is an extension of her joyous and cheerful personality =)” // Vincent

I love how her excitable personality is well complimented by Vincent’s silliness! While he’s not shy, it took me a while to catch his silliness in the act, but when I saw it, it was truly sweet to see the joy in their love!

“I was very excited and nervous [to see Lois]. She looked stunning and beautiful! =) My first thought was that I wanted to give her a big hug.” // Vincent

“Haha if I am 100% honest, I don’t remember how I felt when I first saw Vincent. I am sure I was excited and over-the-top happy. I know the following thoughts were a mix of: wow, he looks good; wow, he is going to be my husband; wow, is this really happening; wow, this is for reals serious and happening! Honestly, the whole day just goes by so fast, so be sure to relish in the present.” // Lois

I asked them to share a little about how they’ve grown since they first began dating, and I loved both of their answers! It reminds me of how important growth is and what healthy growth can look like!

“I think Vincent and I have grown quite a bit from when we first started dating. When we first started dating I had unrealistic expectations from what I thought our dating should look like, but I had to learn every single relationship is unique and should be treated as such. Vincent and I have to constantly remind each other (or, more so he has to remind me) that we cannot compare our relationship/marriage with other peoples’ relationships/marriages.

We have learned how to communicate with each other a little better (still learning, of course!). Before, it was more on the style, timing and frequency of communication. Then, when we got engaged, it was more on the way thoughts were expressed. And now, in our marriage, it has been more on keeping an open communication because we cannot read each other’s mind — shocking! :)

Something we started recently is to pray every night before we sleep. We were inspired by a couple, who have been married for quite a while, when the husband shared how neat it was to experience God answering prayers not only individually but as a couple and how crazy exciting it is when both spouses receive confirmation over a decision.

We obviously have many differences, from how we wash dishes or even how we stack the dishes in the dish rack, to our stances on certain political, economic, or social issues, but it has been an interesting journey walking through it all knowing that our core values still center around our good Father. I see that Vincent has opened my eyes to think more critically about social injustice and what it means to stand up for the oppressed and silenced. Just a couple days ago, he was sharing with me that there is a time to respect and a time to properly resist — which was a little foreign to me at first, but I want us to learn together how to wisely discern those moments.” // Lois

“I have learned to laugh together more! Early on our mentors taught us that love was more than just a feeling, but that love requires action and commitment to experience the fullness of marriage and life together. There’s no way to avoid ongoing external difficulties and challenges, and we are learning how to help spread our burdens and encourage each other when times get tough.” // Vincent

Lois & Vincent were surrounded by some of their bests in their bridal party. If there’s one thing I took from hearing about their relationship, it’s that Lois & Vincent benefitted so much from the help of friends, mentors & other loved ones. Something John & I can deeply resonate with.

“Before we decided to start dating, he was quite transparent with me. If I could name only one thing that we had to overcome in our relationship, it would be our individual brokenness. The root of our brokenness trickles into everything else and bubbles up. We knew from Day 1, we would need a core group of friends that would be willing to walk with us as we navigated uncharted waters, people who would pray for us and ask us the tough questions. We found wise mentors who were frank with us and recommended books to read and put into practice. We joined a specific small group that helped us find healing and hope. Any relationship is tough, and we wanted to make sure we entered our marriage with wide eyes and faithful hearts.” // Lois

What a beautiful thing it is to have the help of others along with you in this journey. :)

Lois opted to have a first look with her father before the ceremony as well! I loved it! It was so sweet to see her father so joyful! His tears made me shed a tear or two, too! :’)

I found out that having the ceremony at Little Bridges in Claremont had a big part to do with Vincent! Having been an Alumni at the Pomona College, Vincent participated in quite a few choir performances in the very same concert hall! Vincent & Lois were sure to be intentional in a lot of their wedding planning! Which led me to ask how their planning process went! Hopefully this is helpful to any of you others planning your wedding! :)

“It was really fun! Lots and lots of compromises, and long talks about what was truly important to us. So many questions to answer: who to invite, who to ask help from, what budget did we want to stick to, what type of a wedding did we want, how would God be most glorified in our decisions, etc. (Tidbit: we were deciding between two talented photographers, and it then came down to faith and how we wanted our photos to be portrayed and associated with. We love Margarette, and have no regrets in our decision!) It was more important for us to focus on the process of wedding planning, rather than just the end result.” // Lois

WAH! T_T I was truly so encouraged to read that little bit about me! But really, I love that last line. To focus on the process of wedding planning is SO great. I’ve heard sad stories of what wedding planning can do to a couple. :( But I think when you realize that the process of working together and learning how to compromise and love one another through the tough times is to help you grow in skills for your marriage, you look at things in a much different way. It’s not magically easier, but it helps refocus the purpose of the wedding–the marriage to follow! :)

As we waited for guests to arrive and John & I shot some details, Vincent and his groomsmen waited in the ceremony area while Lois and her girls hid below! I loved that this was one of Lois’s favorite memories as she awaited their ceremony!

“Vincent probably doesn’t know this, but one memory from our wedding day that I remember is him playing on the piano “All of Me” when he was confined to our ceremony hall while my bridesmaids and I were in transit to the bridal room for hiding. I absolutely love it when Vincent plays the piano, and it was so touching for various reasons.” // Lois

“The wedding ceremony was incredible–I felt a deep peace knowing that we were called to a life of purpose and joy in serving God and each other, and I had tears during the musical portion of our worship as we reminisced on all the good things that arose from our relationship. Everything probably appeared picture perfect, but words cannot describe our feelings of having finally glimpsed the experience of healing in our brokenness and knowing how far we have come, and hopeful in our new journey together ahead.” // Vincent

So beautifully put. My favorite part of the ceremony is listening to the words they share together & watching such a beautiful moment shared between a couple that comes so far. :) 

After their beautiful ceremony, we got golf carted away to their reception area! I was stunned to see what a creative way they set up the Sontag Amphitheater! I could have never envisioned it to be any more stunning!!

“We wanted our wedding to be fun, enjoyable, and with the least hassle as possible for our family, wedding party and guests. The general theme colors were softer sunset colors (shades of golden yellow, toasted orange, rosy coral, dreamy blues…) because many of our dates so happened to be during late afternoons/early evenings and would consist with some sort of a walk outside to catch the sunset. Other than that, we wanted to focus on our guests and make sure they knew we loved them so much! Our marriage wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for our friends cheering us on, mentors counseling us, and parents praying for us.”

Besides the area being so beautiful, their goal to make their wedding intentionally loving on their loved ones was definitely achieved! I loved the intentional ways they thought of their guests, and how much time they spent with them! :)

P.S. I LOVED the seating chart CCL weddings crafted up specially for Lois & Vincent! The two love to cook, & the phrase “Seasoned with Love” was perfect!!

Lois &Vincent cheers-ed (what’s the word fo this? haha!) on with their bridal party before the grand entrance, going into one of the most fun entrances I’ve had the pleasure of photographing! :)

During the reception, Lois had an outfit change! And I loved this moment I was able to catch–one of the most memorable moments for Lois! :)

“Oh! There was also a time where I had to change into my reception dress, and needed a way to block the entrance of where I was getting changed. Vincent enlisted his trustworthy groomsmen to barricade the area and be a human wall. It was a funny 10-minutes, seeing how creative + loving Vincent and his best friends are. Many thanks to the awesome guys for being the best groomsmen ever!” // Lois

Once the sun set and Lois & Vincent made their rounds and thanked and chatted with their loved ones, we all went back down to the amphitheater for some of the funniest and sweetest speeches! It was awesome hearing the well thought out speeches their bridesmaids & groomsmen made! :)

And thus began the night of dancing the night away to their live band! So much joy, it makes me so happy! :)

CONGRATULATIONS LOIS & VINCENT! I am so honored to have photographed such a beautiful wedding day! It was filled with so much intention and aesthetic beauty, that I can still recall so many memories from the day! :) I’m so happy that these two have taken a vow to commitment and I can only imagine how much of a blessing their marriage will bring to those around them!

A little bit of advice these two shared for those of you in your “wedding planning” mode that they learned from their own experience?

“Yes, there were disagreements, but, in a way, I personally appreciate those tough moments because it set a foundation of how we would want to solve issues when making even harder decisions in the future. Hindsight is 20-20, but as a word of encouragement to those currently in the wedding planning process… don’t worry too much, it will all work out! Use this time as training wheels for problem solving. You will have the best day ever, guaranteed! On the day of your wedding, just enjoy and let things flow. We cannot thank enough our vendors and CCL Weddings for making our day perfect the way it was!” // Lois

“Outside of wedding planning, I recommend couples regularly block out time in their schedules when they can do fun things that are not wedding related! Also, consider seeking honest advice from your closest friends and older mentors.” // Vincent

So how have these two love birds been since they said their “I do”s? :)

“We have been learning to work together, and overall it has been fun figuring out big picture things (like planning out our next couple years) to everyday things like what we will cook together for dinner! We hit a few mild speed bumps of course, but because we have been so intentional in our communication skills with each other, we have been able to work things out quickly. Being in a good marriage is like viewing my own X-ray (I like medical analogies since I live and breathe this all day!): it is really humbling to know that there is someone see and knows you in and out but loves you anyway =). We are learning new things about each other, and we have really enjoyed hosting our friends over for meals and helping them out in any ways we can. Besides saying “I love you,” I’ve also learned the most important four words for a successful marriage: “I’ll do the dishes.” ;)” // Vincent

“Married life has been so fun!! I was little scared when married couples warned us that the first year is the toughest and hardest, but a couple weeks before the wedding, a good friend shared how fun marriage has been for her and how she wished more people would talk about how fun marriage should be. There are no promises to zero challenges or that every day will be a walk in the park, but there is something liberating to finally share everything together. We were told to stay vigilant in keeping boundaries in our dating relationship, but even more so now in our married life — just different boundaries.” // Lois

Love all the things these two shared with me–and with you! ;) 

HAPPY SECOND DAY OF THE NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!