Twin Flame

On July 11th, 2020 John and Lori exchanged vows in Groesbeck, Texas at Springfield Hall. It was a very warm day with wide open blue skies as far as eyes could see.

“The sky in Texas is the most amazing sky in the whole country. You can see more sky in Texas than you can see anywhere else in the world.””

— Idina Menzel

Lori and John met casually as she knew of his family and she was a Facebook suggestion of his. Due to COVID-19, their first date was at John’s father’s house. They grilled steaks and watched a movie while they started to learn more about each other. This first date, although casual, was the start of something beautiful. Eventually John proposed to Lori on a rainy day in the post office parking lost in Mexia, Texas.

The shelter in place order provided both of them with lots of time together. They were able to drive around and check cattle during the day and in the evening cuddle up on the couch to watch some television together. The soon discovered that they are each other’s Twin Flame!

“Every soul has a twin, a reflection of themselves - the kindred spirit. No matter where they are or how far away they are, they will always find one another. This is destiny; this is love.”

— Julie Dillon

Vendor Credits

Venue: Springfield Hall

Wedding Planner: Darla Wurtz

Cake Artist: My Dream Cakes

Catering: Darla Wurtz

Makeup Artist: Kristin Nichols

Hair Artist: Staci Allen

Special thanks to Kaitlyn Pagel with Kaitlyn Pagel Photography for assisting me in capturing the memories for Lori and John!

Trash That Dress!

In December of 2018, Mike wanted to propose to Mysti, but not in an ordinary way - he wanted to do something REALLY special for her! At the time I was searching for one guy that was about to pop the question so I could document it for them through photographs. Mike reached out to me and we set the plan in motion.

Mike proposed!!

Fast forward a couple of months when the wedding plans are beginning to take shape…

Mysti contacted me asking if I would photograph their wedding. Of course I said I would love to! During 2019 the plan took off in many directions as they explored all the awesome venues - one was even an old caboose! At one point they decided on an elopement on a cruise trip, but Mike’s family would not be thrilled about missing their big day. As their plans changed so did their family’s plans. One of the daughter’s was going to join the navy after graduation and they definitely wanted her to be in the bridal party so they made plans for a backyard wedding in Mexia, Texas before she left for the military. But then the completely unexpected happen…COVID - 19!

Texas was suddenly under a shelter in place order and no one knew how long that would last. The days turned into weeks. The weeks turned into months. How much longer could this possibly go on?? Slowly the state began to reopen, but there were still restrictions in place. One such restriction was the amount of people in one gathering. That definitely put a damper on wedding plans!

One day Mysti messaged me and said she was so over all the planning and waiting on restrictions to lift that her and Mike decided to have a simple family wedding before her daughter left to the navy so instead of the typical wedding photograph she wanted to trash her dress. And that is exactly what we planned - complete with a cake fight (after sanitizing hands) and lots of toilet paper!

Spending this time with this family was so refreshing and carefree, especially during a time of quarantine. It was amazing to see the entire family having so much fun with each other creating crazy memories their cherish forever!

“Because when you stop and look around, this life is pretty amazing.”

— unknown

Trash THAT Dress!!

Change of Plans

“Sometimes it ends up different and it is better that way.”

— unknown

April 10, 2020 was a day that many were anxiously awaiting. This was the day that Jacob and Hannah would exchange vows in front of their family and friends. The anticipated wedding was originally going to take place at a stunning venue in Axtell, Texas, however something completely unexpected happened - COVID-19. Everyone hoped for the pandemic to be over by this date. But that did not happen. The venue cancelled, along with many of the vendors. This wedding was definitely going to happen on April 10th - no matter what!

There was a change in plans. The wedding would now be small and include a few of their closest family and friends. But where would the wedding take place now since the venue canceled? They considered a friend’s living room and a back yard. After all, rain chances were also moving in and out of the forecast for that day so they needed to take that into consideration. Eventually they decided on a beautiful and secluded piece of property near Axtell, Texas. It seemed as if the new plan was falling into place.

The big day finally arrived and everyone quickly checked the skies and forecast for the day and they were pleasantly surprised. No rain was in the forecast at all! And the temperature was going to be absolutely perfect - not too hot, not too cold. It was a perfect 75 degrees and sunny!

Jacob and Hannah

The two originally met because Jacob was friends with Hannah’s brother. Eventually they went on their first date on October 23, 2017. They ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel and spent the entire day together. He later proposed to her in Dallas at a botanical garden.

Fast forward two and a half years. They spend their date nights going to dinner followed by visiting Sonic for ice cream or drinks before heading home to watch Netflix. They describe their relationship as “definitely not average” with a laughing emoji! When asked what they liked best about each other, Jacob said he likes “everything” about Hannah and Hannah said she likes that Jacob is incredibly patient with her.

The Big Day

The week leading up to the wedding I talked to Hannah’s mother frequently. Plans were changing and Hannah was upset her plans were no longer a reality and instead they were just “winging it.” At some point, the stress seemed to disappear and everything seemed to fall into place perfectly. In fact, I heard many family and friends (including the bride and groom) say they felt this wedding was better than the original one they had planned. It was important that they wed on April 10th and on April 10th that is exactly what happened.

Hannah and Jacob’s Engagement Session

I think Jacob’s mother said it best…