Chris and Sha’s wedding was an absolute dream: the details were personalized, the location was gorgeous, and the weather was picture perfect!  (Although, if you were to ask someone from Seattle, they would probably tell you it was burning up at 70-something degrees as the high.  It was a nice break from the 110 degree heat here in Texas.)  If I could photograph in this weather and beautiful lighting EVERY day, I totally would.

Also, I have never been so prone to tears at a wedding in my life (except, maybe my own.  Maybe).  Sha was my best friend in college.  If you were ever looking for one of us, you’d ask the other if not already connected at the hip.  She inspired me to be “artsy” in so many ways – she decorated my dorm room every year, introduced me to the latest bands/artists (including Sara Bareilles, Regina Spector, and various campus start-ups), and made sure I visited new places (such as Pike Place Market & the first Star Bucks in Seattle).  She encouraged me to minor in Spanish, showing me that I really only needed a few more classes and that it would open up a ton of doors down the road (and helped me get through Spain while I was there for a few days).  I also confess to eating more packages of Oreos while watching Pride and Prejudice with her, which she may try to deny.  We drove from Seattle, WA to Searcy, AR in four days, stopping to stay with friends and strangers (yes, complete strangers – people we’d never met, but we wouldn’t have made it to the planned destination that night due to sleep deprivation, so we started calling random friends to see if ANYONE knew ANYONE in that area that would let us crash.  A very nice couple left their home open for us, completely unlocked – having no idea who we were and what kind of people we were or what time we’d arrive.  They also made us a great breakfast the next morning.  This was a very powerful experience for me.  I remember thinking “This is how people should be treated.  Being someone’s friend by extension of knowing their friends.”)  She also took me to different types of worship services that will always be remembered as one of the best worships I’ve ever taken part of: it was just a group of GOD-loving people, sitting around a campfire, under the stars, playing guitar, singing praise, drinking chai tea and communing together.  One of the biggest effects she has had on my life is answering the phone:  A friend had invited me to come meet his family in Dallas and stay the night on my way to school.  I didn’t really know if I should or not (having only know the friend for 6 months while in Greece), so I called Sha’lon.  She told me that if I didn’t, I’d always wonder “what if?” and that if I did, I could always just leave if it was awful.  So, I went to see the friend.  I’m super glad she encouraged me to do that, as that friend is now my husband.  And Sha’lon photographed our wedding with her now husband.

So, now you know why the video has some major camera shake while the father in this video is walking his daughter down the aisle.  It took everything I had not to tear up once I saw her, to continue photographing her beautiful wedding ceremony and to force back the wave of emotion of seeing such a close friend for the first time in over a year.

Here is the link to the Fusion Video of Chris and Sha’lon’s Wedding.

Much Love,

Mylah Renae

www.Eureka-Photography.com