After meeting Jessica and Kyle and having the opportunity to photograph their engagement session, it became apparent just how much in love these two really are. The couple had been anticipating this day throughout their years together. September 12th, 2015 was eleven years in the making!

I arrived at Cassiel's Salon and Spa to photograph the bride, bridesmaids, and Jessica and Kyle's mothers getting ready for the special occasion. The ladies had lots of fun getting their nails, hair and makeup done. When we arrived at the Franco American Heritage Center, the ladies put on their dresses and prepared for the wedding ceremony.

The Franco Center is a performing arts organization which celebrates heritages from France, Quebec, and other French countries throughout the world. It is truly an amazing and beautiful wedding venue! Jessica and Kyle's wedding ceremony was unlike any other I have photographed to date. Large stained glass windows, theater-style seating, and exquisite decor made their wedding ceremony all the more wonderful. Jessica's parents built an arbor which sat atop the stage of which they would have their wedding ceremony. I couldn't believe to learn that they had built it in a day! Jessica and Kyle incorporated a ring warming into their ceremony — which is a special way to involve everyone in attendance. The wedding rings are passed around so that each person can give the couple with a blessing or prayer for the marriage. They exchanged heartfelt vows to one another and were then pronounced husband and wife.

One of my favorite aspects of Jessica and Kyle's wedding was how their wedding details combined their individual styles, which appear to be quite different, and yet they fit together perfectly! Jessica came up with the term "Woodsy Sparkle" to describe the theme she envisioned for their wedding. To represent the couple's unique styles, the reception decor included sequin table runners, twinkle lights, and mercury glass for Jessica and deer antlers, pine cones and moss for Kyle. Many of the details were DIY projects which the couple and their family put together.

During the reception, speeches were given by Jessica's mother, as well as the Maid of Honor and Best Man. Jessica and Kyle shared a wonderful first dance to "My Best Friend" by Tim McGraw — a song that has special meaning to them, as it was playing when they got engaged at Kyle's sister's wedding. When the dance floor opened, everyone enjoyed a wonderful evening of dancing. Even "grammy" and "gramps" made their way to the dance floor and were the last ones on the floor during the anniversary dance — celebrating 67 years of marriage! As the night came to an end, a group of groomsmen and other gentlemen lifted Jessica up and tossed her in the air several times! I've never seen anything like it but I overheard it is a wedding tradition in their family. All in all, it was a beautiful day filled with happiness, laughter, and love.

I asked Jessica a few questions about her wedding:

What was your “perfect wedding” vision?

"Although we wanted everything to look perfect at the ceremony and reception, our main goal was to have a thoughtful, heartfelt ceremony and afun filled reception. I think we hit both nails on the head, it was perfect!"

What was the inspiration behind your wedding details?

"Kyle and I are very much opposites when it comes to things we think are "pretty". Although both of us have a strong appreciation for the beauty of the outdoors, Kyle is an extreme outdoorsman who loves hunting, fishing, etc. I am a kitchen designer who is very into colors, textures, trends etc. and I REALLY like anything with some sparkle to it.

I really tried to make our wedding decor an equal balance of both of us. Many of our guests commented on how well everything came together and how our decor really represented both of us. We had sequin table runners, twinkle lights, and mercury glass for me and we had deer antlers, pine cones and moss for Kyle."