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Sometimes a wedding is just a wedding… nothing special, nothing super sentimental… it’s just a wedding. Those weddings often have a beautiful bride, beautiful details and colors, happy guests who dance well, and the day goes smoothly. There are those weddings, and then there are weddings like Chris and Chelsea’s wedding. Chris and Chelsea’s wedding, from the very beginning of the day, had a depth to the beauty and excitement. Chelsea was more than beautiful on her wedding day, she was radiant and her Father’s glory flickered in her eyes as she walked. Chris was more than a good looking groom, his anticipation and excitement to promise his heart to Chelsea went before him and lit up the cloudy sky. The details were incredibly thought out and every single one of the guests came with joy and energy to see these two tie the knot. Going through the day with these two, from the getting ready, to the first look that left Chris speechless, walking down the aisle with tears of joy, to the post-reception photos, I felt so blessed and in awe of how “one of a kind” the day felt. There were SO MANY great shots, it seems ridiculous to have to pick my favorites, but here it goes…

Chelsea’s “something borrowed & blue”, her mother’s garter… such a cool heirloom!

This was, by FAAARRRRR, my favorite shot of the day…

Chelsea got some super cute custom hair pieces for her bridesmaids from Etsy…

While she got her hair done, Chelsea explained to me the meaning behind the inscription inside Chris’ ring… it says “3 Simple Words, I Love You.” Such a beautiful touch to their symbol of love.

While I hung out with the girls, my A-team member Amanda Patrice spent the morning with the boys and snapped some great shots…

What a handsome man…. just sayin’.

I thought it was so cool how they sprinkled the aisle with fall leaves and white rose petals… a nice Autumn touch for a nice Autumn wedding

Another Favorite…

The reception had some super cool ideas… like homemade Baclava for the guests to take home, and great incorporation of fall leaves and cute little birds on the tables! I also loved how they had pies instead of a wedding cake!

This was one of my favorite moments of the reception… when Chelsea’s grandparents, the longest married couple in the house, requested a song and danced with huge smiles on their face all by themselves on the dance floor… they looked so in love and so sweet, my teeth hurt!

Chris and Chelsea,

I love you guys and you were a dream to work with. I appreciate your trust in me to photograph your big day and I feel so honored to have been a part of your wedding experience. I trust you’ve had an amazing first couple weeks as a married couple and I can’t wait to follow your adventures as Mr. and Mrs. Balian. Thank you for being the adventurous and fun-loving people you are.

Love,

Kate Noelle

Venue: Strawberry Farms Golf Club, Flowers: C.M. Armstrong Floral Designs, Makeup: Cicelee Padilla, Hair: Cynthia Reina, Special thanks to the best photographer friend a girl could wish for… the talented Amanda Patrice!

He’s a genuinely good guy. First impressions say a lot about a person…. maybe even the things they try to hide. My first impression of Chris was just that… he’s a genuinely good guy. He loves the Lord. He loves my friend. He loves people and does his best to help where he can. He’s a hard worker. He’s a big WIN if you ask me!

Hmmm… what to say about Chelsea…. She’s everything a lady should be. She’s one of the only nurses I would want if I were in the hospital (she recently finished her Nurse Practitioner’s degree and rolls with the big dogs now ). She’s gorgeous. She has a smile that could make glaciers melt. Her quiet, yet quirky sense of humor never fails to have me in stitches (no pun intended…)…. and the list goes on and on. She’s someone I would want to be like when I grow up.

You can imagine the look on my face when Chelsea first asked me to be her wedding photographer…. well, basically I had a blank look of complete and utter shock on my face. I’m beyond honored Chris and Chelsea have chosen me to be their wedding photographer… and I couldn’t ask for more perfect clients and friends than them! We had so much fun shooting at the Orange Circle and Peter’s Canyon… and I’m SO excited for their November wedding at Strawberry Farms! Here’s some shots from our afternoon…

By the way… Chelsea claimed to “not know how to ‘work it’ “…. riiiiight.

Chelsea cracks me up… she’s so darn cute!

After we spent some time exploring around Orange Circle, we took a quick drive down Chapman and ended up at Peter’s Canyon… another one of my favorite places to shoot. The hills were painted a gorgeous spring green and as the sun set, we enjoyed the vibrant colors all around. Seriously… the whole time, Taylor Swift was singing “Today was a Fairytale” in my head… because that’s what it looked like.

Okay…. I couldn’t help myself. I HAD to shoot some of the details… because they were so good! I ADORED Chelsea’s dress from Anthropologie and the cute bouquet of flowers she brought along….

I was also a HUGE fan of her cute yellow strappy sandals from Nordstrom. (And I have to admit… I saw them at Nordstrom and almost bought them…)

Chris certainly brought “man-ness” to the shoot with his studly cowboy boots.

This was one of my favorites from the day…

Another “couldn’t help myself” moment… the sun flare was just so cool!!!!

Chris brought his truck… yay!

Passion.

Dear Chris and Chelsea,

You rocked my world with this shoot.

Not only were you easy on the eyes, but you were a breath of fresh air to my soul.

I loved getting to know you both better and I can’t wait for your wedding day.

I might cry. This is fair warning.

Loooove,

Kate

Today was beautiful.

Today was inspiring.

The air felt full of creative vapor.

I took a deep breath and gave it my all.

Here’s a sneak peek from today’s engagement shoot with Chris and Chelsea…. more to come….