When you talk about a trip to Las Vegas, one would think of casinos, slot machines, show girls, the strip, lights…LOTS of them and oh, so much more! My last trip there was filled with love, memories, new friends and a chance to photograph a very special day for two wonderful people! The bride, Connie, is a dear friend, who I met a couple years ago…actually online and then we met in person about a year later. Our love for photography was how we “met” but once we actually met in person, I knew we were friends forever…despite living in different states. Connie is originally from Columbia and has been in the US – California for quite some time. Since moving to the US, she’s made many friends who have become her “family” and those who have met her know just how kind, caring, passionate and faithful she is! Last summer she moved from California to Medford, Oregon and she fell in love there…not only with a wonderful man, but also with the area…and I couldn’t have been happier for her. She deserves EVERYTHING her heart desires and I knew that being there for her was the only place I would be on her wedding day! My husband came along and he had never met Connie and I hadn’t met any of the other family and friends that would be there…but by the end of the weekend, we felt like we had made wonderful new friends who were just as kind and friendly as Connie. Of course, her new hubby, Merrill, is a very generous and loving man who made us feel so welcome and as though we were part of the family. He has a wonderful person to share his life with – they are both so very lucky to have one another!! My heart is filled with happiness for the two of them and the life they have ahead of them!!
The wedding was held in a penthouse suite at the Bellagio and family and close friends all shared in their special day. The laughter, stories, love, margaritas and more filled the day…and the weekend for Connie and Merrill and all those who celebrated with them! Connie’s mother traveled from Columbia and was a dear…not that I could understand anything she said, but I loved her as it was obvious her heart and soul are just as her daughter’s are…and although we couldn’t understand what the other was saying, we both knew that we love Connie and were so very happy for her! Merrill’s brother and sister in-law were there as well…and Connie has know them for a long time and considered them her “California family” and becoming a real part of their family was an incredible gift! Others traveled from across the country and many of her friends from Southern California…and meeting each and every one of them was a blessing…knowing how much everyone loves Connie and that we were all there because we are so happy for her! The weekend was a delight…well, except for one “tiny” little mishap!! 😉 After a spectacular dinner at the Prime Steakhouse in the Bellagio some of us were headed back up to the Penthouse, including the bride and groom…when we were stuck in an elevator. Elevator #13 to be exact…and there just happened to be 13 of us in there…9 from the wedding and 2 other couples. Well, the mood was light to start, but as time went on…and air became a bit more stifling and we kept being told “they were working on it” and then an “outside party” was called to come figure it out…we were impatient and MORE than ready to get out. Thankfully, we didn’t have a medical emergency in there, but we were all concerned if the time continued as to what might happen. Eventually, it was the Las Vegas Fire Department who got us out and I would guess that everyone has never been so happy to see firefighters (looking quite nice in their full gear!) in their life as when they helped us out…it was well over an hour and not quite how the evening was suppose to end. Given that the suite was on the 26th floor, we all had to eventually get back in elevators, but we refused to ride in elevator #13! If you have been to Las Vegas, you know that you really don’t have a choice, but to use elevators when staying in the hotels…so we all had to suppress our fears after that and get back “on the horse” or in the elevator for the rest of our stay!! The Bellagio did compensate all of us, so that did help…but I certainly wouldn’t choose to go through that again for another weekend getaway!
Combining my love for photography and the love I have for a friend and being able to capture a very special day in her life and that of her new husband filled my heart with joy. Sharing in the wedding of even my clients is a great day…knowing the love and commitment that they are making and how much it means…I’m always overcome with emotion as I think back to the day my husband and I were married…and know what a day like this means!! My wish for you, Connie and Merrill, is a lifetime of love, laughter and more happiness than you can ever imagine. You two are incredible people and I couldn’t be happier for you! {P.S. Rick and I ARE coming to visit you and we can’t wait to hang out with both of you!}
