ENGAGED: RACHEL + ISAAC

Out of all my coworkers, Isaac is definitely one of the most memorable. He's authentic, enthusiastic and cares a lot about everything he does and everyone he loves. So, therefore, it was no surprise to me when he planned to propose with all the elegance and surprise he could muster. So on an overcast day that did nothing but expound upon the beauty of these two, my friend Kate and I headed downtown to act as photog tourists, and when Isaac asked me, a "complete stranger" to take a photo of the two of them, I swapped their camera out for my own and we never looked back.

These two are just as fun and beautiful as they look, and I'm stoked, STOKED, for their wedding this fall. Congrats to two of the most delightful people.

ENGAGED: BLAKE + RACHEL

Rachel and I lived together during my first year in Nashville and to say that watching Blake go after her from the very beginning was exciting would be an understatement. I've rarely known to people to be more complementary, and I am beyond thrilled to have been there from the start to witness how the Lord has worked to bring them together.

About a month ago, Blake messaged me and asked if I'd be willing to help him with his proposal plan: He was going to have a picnic set up for the two of them (which didn't sound all that different from the normal romantic and meaningful things he did during the months they were only dating, the blanket he used was "their picnic blanket"), and some of Rachel's closest friends would be hiding in the woods to the side waiting to congratulate them when she said yes. My task was to calm myself enough to not shake my camera lens, we were at least 500 feet away from them and that lens ain't light. I was also wearing a hooded green jacket to blend in with the bushes that surrounded me. I'd had help from Blake's friends, camouflage experts, in appearing as incognito as possible.

Later Rachel kept telling us that she had no idea what was happening until Blake started into his speech. After giving her the ring and a kiss, Blake had called in our direction and Rachel looked shocked, obviously, though her face couldn't tell us which shock she was currently processing. We headed out to snap a few photos and celebrate together for a few minutes before heading to a party with even more friends waiting. Still unsure if Rachel ever found out about this part before arriving.

Blake works part-time as a barista at High Brow Coffee + Tea, a sweet, intimate coffee shop in the Waverly neighborhood of Franklin, Tennessee. I zipped over there to arrive before the newly engaged couple, and was struck by the warmness of the place, and also by the amount of guests who had shown up to pack the little coffee shop out. A few would-be customers were sadly turned away once they realized the place was only open for a private event, but the shop was loud and bright and bustling as the guests waited for Blake and Rachel to arrive.

Rachel is one of my closest friends, and therefore Blake has become one of my favorite people as well. It's easy as pie to see these too going places together, and it's just the beginning for them, but God's been looking forward to this union for quite some time. Don't get mad about me being cheesy, I'm allowed.

MARRIED: FON + BEE

Just a few days after I returned to Chiang Mai from Myanmar, I got a call from my friend Kelly telling me that our friend Nong Fon was getting married, that night. N. Fon lives in a small village near us and we travelled to see her before the Buddhist ceremony. 

Traditionally, well-wishers and friends come to a wedding and sprinkle perfumed water on the couple and tie money to their wrists as a sign of good fortune in their marriage. We arrived soon enough to pray for N. Fon and Bee, to witness and share in the happiness of the villagers as they arrived to participate in their wedding celebration. The event took place in the room that the two will call their home, gifts already lay already opened behind them from earlier in the day.

We left the village before the Buddhist ceremony began, loving the fact that we were invited to such an important part of their lives after only being a part of theirs for a short time. I am so incredibly glad I brought my camera to this night and I could deliver a set of the photos to the bride just last week! Keep praying for these two, that their hearts would be open and their lives changed.