This beautiful couple came to me with somewhat of a less-traditional photography need. You see, 2020 was a bit of a strange year, and well, some of...okay, LOTS of our plans had to be adjusted along the way. For Monica and Josh, this meant they wouldn't be able to have the large wedding celebration they would have wanted. They eloped last year, a bald eagle circling overhead during their ceremony...one of only a small number of witnesses to the occasion, with the hope of gathering their friends and family this year for the type of celebration they deserved. It was my honor and pleasure to capture their first anniversary photos ahead of their upcoming celebration. I'm happy to share a glimpse into the story of how they got here.
As a college junior, Monica had no idea that the handsome freshman whom she saw regularly in the school's cafeteria where she worked as a cashier would one day become her husband. Monica recalls how utterly tongue-tied she would get every time Josh would come through the line. Hearing the beginning of a love story is such a fun part of the story, and these two have been living in the moment together ever since.
I have always found it fascinating to learn how/when a couple decides that "this is the one...the one I want to spend the rest of my life with." What I have learned is that it's not always huge moments that lead to a stunning realization, but more often it's a bunch of smaller moments.
For Monica and Josh, it was their trips to Colorado, Florida, and Texas. It was camping and fishing. It was the small moments like the time Monica caught a fish and squeezed the life out of it because she didn't want it to get away, or their weekly volleyball and softball games, dinners together every night, playing Phase 10 or watching Yellowstone...and even the simple trips to Fleet Farm or Menard's just to check stuff out.
Like many of us, life gets busy with work and other things. Monica tells me that many times when they seem to be really busy with life, she will come home and Josh will have dinner made and a country love song playing. They will dance in the kitchen and just enjoy THAT moment.
On March 19, 2020, they both decided they wanted to have these small moments last a lifetime. It was their dating anniversary, and Monica had just gotten off her shift at the hospital. Josh had a bottle of wine, flowers, Tums and a note. As Monica was reading the note, Josh got down on one knee. They made it official last September, and they are REALLY looking forward to properly celebrating this chapter of their story next month! Stay tuned for more from Monica and Josh!
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