Mel + Ray | El Portal | Wedding | Sedona, AZ

This couple melted my heart with their story. As told to me by the bride...

Ray and I met when we were 10 (on the school bus), which is why we put
in our story that it was a 35 year journey to become husband and wife.
Ray and I lived in Blaine, WA at the time....out in the country. Ray
lived about a mile away. We used to ride Tahala, his horse, together in
the fields near our homes. We dated off and on through HS, as Ray moved
away when we were 15 and he came back to Washington when we were 16. We
went on our last date when we were 19 and then I moved away to eastern
WA.

Ray and I saw each other briefly 15 years ago in Washington when we were
30....it was just before I moved to AZ. Ray looked for me on
classmates.com this past August, 2007....he emailed
my brother on classmates.com searching for me. My brother forwarded the
email to me on Sept. 26, 2007 and I immediately called Ray....we talked
for about 4 hours on the phone. Ray and I got together the very next
day, Sept. 27 as he flew to Phoenix to see me. We got engaged Oct. 12
and then married Feb. 22.

Don't you love it?

Most brides wouldn't have ventured out in their gowns for a minute in the weather on Feb. 22-- but not Mel-- she made the most of the FREEZING weather and wet ground and managed to laugh her way through the entire photo session. Mel and Ray had fun even when the weather wasn't cooperating and that's no small task when you've been planning a perfect sunny Sedona day for months. Cheers to Mel and Ray-- may your marriage be full of the laughter you shared with me on your lovely wedding day. View their slideshow here

**Additionally I wanted to THANK Katrina Wallace of Sedona Bride about a million times for being my second shooter at this wedding. Her friendship is a blessing. I was 38 weeks pregnant that day and ended up delivering baby Owen 8 days later (coincidentally: I shot a wedding with Katrina when she was 37 weeks pregnant with Kaiden in 2006). Of course, I was perfectly capable of shooting it myself, (minus the laying on the ground shots) but it was great to have Katrina on board in case of an early delivery or early labor. Plus her images RULE and she gave me lots of peace of mind. Kudos to my lovely assistant, Jamelle Kelly, for being my Sherpa that day! Jamelle carried my gear with a smile and I love her for it.

Getting Ready: El Portal
Ceremony: Tlaquepaque Chapel
Coordinator: Sedona Wedding Planner: Karen Lynn
Flowers: Showstoppers Events