November 10, 2012
This wedding shoot was full of “firsts” for me…the wedding ceremony was to be held outdoors on a ranch; it was a western themed (no surprise there)–the bride and bridesmaids wore cowgirl boots while the groom and groomsmen all wore cowboy hats; we did the ‘first look’ shoot in a barn; and, finally, it had snowed the night before so it was fairly frigid outside near windy Sonoita, Arizona. Typically, November is cooler in southern Arizona but not usually as cold as it was that day…in fact, it snowed again that evening (thankfully the reception was over). The bride and bridesmaids ended up wearing denim jackets for a lot of the shoot before the wedding and then shivered through the blessedly brief ceremony. It’s always windy near Sonoita so it was a trick to keep the bridal arch in an upright position, the table covers on and the food warm–but it was accomplished in very unique and clever ways. They even had some fire pits going for the guests during the reception which was held in a tent with two of the sides down (and two up) to keep the wind out. There was plenty of yummy food for everyone, a live band and some great dancing.
We have been friends with Randy’s family for many, many years and so his mother asked me months before set aside a May wedding date. However, Randy was suddenly told that he was being shipped out in a month to serve oversees for a year in the Army so they moved their wedding date up a few months and they were so very excited to become man and wife. Thanks for your service to our country, Randy, and than you both for wanting me to memorialize your very special day!
