More than Air - Kia & Mike's Whitehall Manor Wedding Remembered!

It's been a while now but it is a wedding that I will never forget.  In my mind the possibility of shooting it was, lets say, surreal.  I knew that it was going to be a big one..huge.. and I also knew, deep inside of my spirit that I could do it but getting it was another story.
Kia and her mom came to me one afternoon.  I sat with paper and pen ready to write down the details of her day but somewhere along the course of the conversation I set the paper and pen down and just answered the questions they tossed my way.  They had all of them on a checklist.. you know, from the bridal "make sure you don't forget anything"  list in the perfectly bound notebook.. mother and daughter both had one and I just sat and tried to answer. Suddenly it got really hot in the room and I knew that this was not going to happen for "a little bit of whimsy".  My kids, huddled on the floor on the catwalk above the greatroom where we met, began to quietly laugh at my attempts to answer.  I did my best and answered truthfully.  One question I just told mom.. "I'll have to get back to you on that one.  That is something I've never even thought about".  I could not lie.. but inside I had given up. Trust me, I was resolved with that.  At that moment, I knew that this wedding was just not for me, even though I wanted it more than air.
When they left, my kids recounted to me how ridiculous I sounded and shouted... " oh well.. you won't be shooting that one.."  We all laughed. Secretly, I wanted to cry.
About a week went by and I got a call from Kia saying... "we have chosen you and we want you to shoot my wedding".  I wish you could have seen my face and the shouts to God thanking him for making my wish come true when I hung up.
The wedding was just spectacular... the venue, the flowers, the cakes, the center pieces, the food, the luge, the photo booth, the Calypso band, the DJ, the desert cart with chocolate after dinner drink cups... EVERYTHING.. a photographer's dream.. and it was mine. I lost three pounds that day, I was so excited.
It has been years since Kia and Mike got married so I was very surprised and delighted when I received an e-mail from Kia a while back which said in part...

"Hi Delores,
 Every now and then, I feel nostalgic and check your website to look at our engagement and wedding pictures.  Mike and I regularly look through our wedding album (he recently confessed that he looks at it even more than I was aware of!)" ...............".......... this morning, I suddenly felt compelled to look at our wedding photos on your website.  Tears! Tears! Tears!  Happy tears and laughter, of course!  Well, it is 1 year and 8 months later and we are more in love than our wedding day and I just want to thank you and your husband again for beautifully capturing the start of our married journey and one of the happiest days of our life together!"
All the best,
Kia Mills

Thanks Kia & Mike and Mr & Mrs Tucker.. for trusting me when I was lifting off from my nest.. branching out and taking flight.  Your wedding taught me a lot about relationships, love and trust.
Trusting myself and trusting my passion for what I love to do...  Documenting your day was a culmination of all of the above and I Loved Every Minute Of It!!

Click HERE to see Kia and Mike's slideshow!