“First comes love, then comes marriage.” That’s the saying, right? But what comes before love? That crazy, exhilarating, “what will happen next?” season of attraction where boy meets girl, then boy and girl try to make sense of everything they’re feeling.

Sometimes, as a wedding photographer, you have the honor of seeing the whole process unfold from start to finish!

I’ll never forget my car ride to Houston with Chris back in December 2016. I’d just taken Square 8 Studio full time, and Chris – having just finished up school at Baylor University and moved to Fort Worth – had asked Square 8 to handle all his photography bookings for him. We were headed to Houston for a bridal show, and it wasn’t but a few minutes in to our ride when Chris starts going on and on about this girl Rachel (also a recent Baylor-to-Fort-Worth transplant) he’d been talking to. I’d met Rachel a couple times through church, and had seen her and Chris doing that “will-we-or-won’t-we” dance that every couple does in the early days of dating for a while at that point.

Chris tried to pretend like his mind wasn’t already made up. He tried to do the macho, “we’ll see” routine… to pretend like he was playing it cool. But the more he talked, the more obvious it was to both of us: Chris was CRAZY about Rachel.

I remember thinking to myself, “he’s gonna marry this girl.”

One year later, the three of us were freezing our tails off: Chris on one knee, Rachel grinning from ear to ear and fighting back frozen tears, and me hiding behind a tree, snapping pictures of the majestic moment.

It’s a beautiful thing to watch two friends, people you think the world of, fall in love and start a life together. Chris is passionate, dedicated, and loyal beyond belief. Rachel is undeniably kind, servant-hearted, and sincere (she’s also a huge fan of gummy bears). But the real magic happens when you put these two together: they are a kingdom-minded combo that can’t be beat!

Over and over throughout their wedding day, friends and family could be heard lauding the character of Chris and Rachel, as well as their hearts for Jesus. And as you’ll see and hear in their photos (below) and wedding video (top of page), that’s what these two are all about!

The Vendor Team

Photography: Square 8 Studio

Videography: Square 8 Studio

Coordinator: Emerald Aisle Weddings

Venue: Hidden Pines Chapel

Florals: Teri’s Floral

DJ: DJ Michael Blake

Makeup: Blush by Arma

Cakes: Sweet Expressions

#blessabride #wedding