Crystal Beck Photography

This wedding was near and dear to my heart. It was the wedding of one of my childhood and lifelong girlfriends, Lisa.

I can't even put into words what it means to me to have shared this very special day with her. I think she knows though.

I also had the honor of shooting her getting ready and some of the beautiful details before her photographer arrived.

Then I did the best I could to check my camera at the door! I tried, I really did! (In, out, in, out, and back in again.....) But when you see things, things that you don't want you best friend to ever forget. Details that she worked for many long months to put together, all for one very special day. It is so very hard.

Fortunately he was very cool, and welcomed me to shoot most of the time! (Thank you so much Toban!)

Congratulations you guys! Spending your life with your best friend is the biggest blessing.

than I already did...... I do.

(Picture courtesy of Celeste - a friend of Lisa and Joel's. Love friends with an SLR!)

My husband:
* Left work at the most inopportune time to be with us.
* Kept the girls while I got pampered with a pedicure.
* Kept the girls in the room during the Bridal Shower.
* At one point I went up once to check on them, and found him asleep in the chair with both Ava and Gretta in his lap, also sleeping. (I wanted a picture badly, but didn't dare wake them.)
* Carrie went up for something else later that afternoon, and again.... sleeping, each girl in the crook of his arms. (She came down and we all had a few tears......the good kind.)
* Worked when the kids were with me or sleeping.
* Listened to me, when I needed to talk.
* Changed diapers, yes I said changed diapers!
*Kept Gretta home from the rehearsal dinner because we couldn't figure out how to lock the house up.
* Put the kidlets to bed.
* Stopped working instantly when Lisa needed help at midnight before the wedding to help her print out maps for everyone on how to get to the vineyard, the hair salon, and back home again. (printed multiple copies, forward and backward directions, labeled them, and stapled packets together!)
* Helped my best friends and I load the cars till 2am so Lisa could sleep.
* Shot the rehearsal and watched kids.
* Went to the Air Museum with a few guys while we all got our hair done.
* Met back up with us, gummy worms and milk in hand.
* Helped my Mom get the girls all dressed for the wedding and pictures.
* Stayed in the room at the Vineyard with Gretta till after the wedding was over.
* Played and ate with the kids during the reception dinner.
* Took tons of pictures of the kids playing at the reception while I was at the bridal party table. (Makes a Mama teary-eyed for sure)
* Was a good sport and let someone take a few pictures of us.
* Was determined to get a few great shots of the tent in the dark when I told him I should have brought a tripod and couldn't get it to work.
* Helped pack us up and got us back to Lisa's without getting lost, like I would have.
* Vacuumed, swept, packed the car and helped with straightening up the house so it wasn't a disaster when everyone got back from the Inn that morning.

There has to be more, but I have tried desperately to think of everything. But there was so much, and I wasn't even there most of the time, I can't possibly even know what he was up against!

It was a hard decision to leave on Saturday instead of waiting till Sunday, but it was a good one.

He was so compassionate about it, and felt bad for me. At the last minute he changed his mind because we were getting such a late start and decided we were headed to the coast!

My husband is the best there could ever be. He swept me up off my feet and turned a sad time into wonderful memories for not just me... but our whole little family. (More on that later!)

I honestly thought that being cooped up in a room for 2 days, with the girls would have been the worst part of the trip for him. But he told me on the way home it was that he felt like he was watching a movie of his beautiful wife and he wasn't able to play his part.

My cup runneth over.

Thank you dear ~ For everything. I love you.