Katherine & Brian, two sweet, fun and delightful theater teachers, were married on a beautiful early June day, slightly too hot, slightly too humid, but we were just thankful it was rain-free. When I arrived at the Par Exsalonce salon in Overland Park, I was greeted with such a welcome crew. Katherine’s mom was smitten with her daughter and the day that was laid out ahead. (She gushed to me how proud she is of Katherine and how because of Kat’s superb planning skills, the whole event was not stressful for her–the mother of the bride.) And Kat’s friends? Equally as warm! They chatted it up with me and made me feel so comfortable. That is so invaluable for us photographers!!!
Meanwhile, my sidekick Amber Cutler was covering the boys… who were calm, cool and collected.
I LOVED her dress…and the grey tuxes. Aren’t Kat & Brian TOOOOOO DARLING for words?
Kat & Bri (ha!) opted for a first glance. It was a warm day, with bright overhead sun, so we escaped to the sidewalk across from the church so we could at least be in shade. Then we headed indoors to where we could chill out a bit, but finish the photos. Thankfully, good lighting wasn’t hard to find.
And looks alone indicate how great of a fit these two are together….but I teared up several times while reading what they had to say about one another. Please note the underlying theme of ‘best friendship”…”faithfulness,”… “growth”…”God”…and the ability to have fun together. (And I dare you to not end with a moist eye!! 😉 )
In Katherine’s words
“Brian is my best friend. I love that he calls me his best friend too. I love how passionate and determined he is. For example, when I gave him every reason to give up on me after he chased me for a year, he still stood beside me as a friend and waited. In that time, I saw Brian as my friend, and I began to see the man he was becoming. Most of our time together in college was spent in the theatre. We built so many memories there. In fact, that’s where our journey first began: It was my first day of technical theatre class, and there was this boy, and he was wearing a t-shirt that was cut off above his belly button with a dirty pair of sweatpants. You can imagine the first impression that gave me. Even through the awkwardness at the beginning of our friendship…and up until now, I have never questioned his faithfulness to me as a friend. I’ve always known he would be there by my side if I needed him. My relationship with Brian has grown and matured so much over the past 4 years. He never fails to make me laugh. I can’t imagine being bored around this guy…it just seems impossible! I’ve seen him take on a variety of roles as a teacher, a friend, a fellow actor, a leader, and now, a husband. Most of all, I absolutely love his heart. I love how even though he is 23, in his heart he is still an adventure-seeking, goofy little boy. I love that he seeks to form our relationship on the solid foundation of Christ, and is constantly pointing us back to that. The more I grow closer to Christ, the more I grow to love Brian. I am so excited to begin this life-long journey with him.”
In Brian’s words
“Saying what I love about Katherine Ann is an easy one. I love that she is my best friend and has been close to me through so much of my blooming adult life. Even before the romance began, she proved faithfulness to me in friendship. We’ve seen each other in the best and worst. Stressed and freewheeling. We’ve been side by side on many challenging projects and we’ve always seemed to see things from a similar angle. In several productions at Jewell in the Theatre Department I felt like she was the only sane person out there. Her friendship with me even withstood the damaging awkwardness of me trying desperately to start a relationship with her before it was our time. I couldn’t scare her away. The next thing I love about her is her beautiful heart. She really cares about the important things the way I want my lover to care about. A lot of that has to do with our shared faith in Christ. The closer I see her get to God and grow in her faith the more beautiful she is to me. Lastly I honestly believe she is my soul mate. It’s like we had to end up together. This evidences itself in silly little ways like thinking the same thoughts, saying the same things, color coordinating on a weekly basis without communication. But for all intents and purposes, she is my other half. We complement each other almost perfectly in our similarities and our differences. With Katherine Anne I feel free and grounded all at once. She redefines love for me everyday. She is a mystery. What more could I want?“
Brian and Katherine surround themselves by people who are just as lovely–inside and out.
Ceremony time!!! Complete with a poem that Brian wrote, that a mutual friend turned into a song. BEAUTIFUL.
A few more pics of the newlyweds…and then it was time to celebrate. and I’d like to point out here that their dance floor looked like a dance club THE ENTIRE NIGHT. And there wasn’t even alcohol involved!!! This group of people knows how to have fun….Amber and I enjoyed watching it sooo much. and there’s a little treat at the end… 😉
And now… I present to you the dance of the night… Brian’s version of FOOTLOOSE! Please forgive my video skills…I am not one of those photographers who claims to be good at both formats. 🙂 You might have to let it load for a bit to get it to play fully!!!
