Love is in the air! Tatiana here — showcasing one of the two weddings Christine and I were honored to be a part of this weekend — on the same day!
On October 14th, Aftin and Anthony finally said “I do” after nearly nine years in the making. The happy couple booked Kansas City Photography for the entire day, so I was able to capture so many special moments!
When I arrived, I met Aftin for some fun “Getting Ready” photos. I was thrilled to share those little moments before the big reveal with her and her bridesmaids!
Her dress was absolutely stunning — with delicate lace wrapping around the entire gown! Her teardrop bouquet had a splash of violet and red mahogany. And the perfect touch was the flower crown atop her head — a gift from their officiant!
Aftin was a radiant, glowing princess that had everyone in tears — especially Anthony, her now husband! He was literally moved to tears when he saw his beautiful bride!
But first — we had to build up the suspense. No peeking yet!
This is what we call the “First Look.” That’s where we take the bride and groom and hide each of them behind a corner or a door. They hold hands, and can’t look at each other. Then, the magical moment comes when we can tell them to “turn around” and look at their forever!
We highly recommend this moment for every couple because it gives the bride and groom an intimate memory together before they walk down the aisle in front of everyone. It’s just the two of them — existing in that moment only to see each other before they make their life commitment in front of their doting family and friends.
It also gives us photographers a chance to capture both flawless expressions without any disruption — or Aunt Janet stepping in the way of the aisle with her flip phone camera. 🙂
Anthony was so taken back by Aftin’s beauty he couldn’t hold back the tears! It’s moments like these that make our hearts flutter!
It’s why we absolutely love, love, love weddings. All of the emotion and opportunities to capture it on camera!
Seeing how devoted and overcome with pure love Anthony was — I’m talking every single second throughout the day — truly warmed my heart.
Although, we didn’t need much warming up since it was in the 90’s all day. Mid-October is supposed to be fall, right?
But thankfully, it has been chilly enough in the weeks prior that the trees are starting to get the hint. You can see the pops of color starting to come out in the leaves behind our madly in love couple!
So, we mentioned before that Aftin and Anthony were together for nearly 9 years before the big proposal (which happened on vacation!!).
The thing I love about these two is that there was never some ultimatum, like “if you don’t propose, we’re over.” What did happen was so wonderful.
Aftin told Anthony she was going to propose to him if he didn’t by the end of the year. There was never this “we aren’t going to be together” thing, it was “we are always going to be together, even if I propose to you!” I just love, love, love that mentality!
These two are so perfect! And silly!
I’m glad Aftin could see past Anthony’s “cooties” (above) because they make the best couple of love birds I’ve encountered in a long time!
And their love attracted some pretty awesome friends to stand by them during their wedding day!
This perfect team has so many wonderful people surrounding them, sharing laughs with them, and holding them up (literally).
They have a solid foundation of friendships that will last as long as their marriage — which is forever if you didn’t catch on. 😉
Now, let’s talk about that ring —
Aftin’s ring is truly unique and extra special, as a sapphire represents faithfulness and sincerity. Anthony had the wedding band custom made to flow with her engagement ring seamlessly — simply stunning!
Not to mention — the flowers matched her ring perfectly!
And next — in the words of Jack Skellington “what’s this?!”
This awesome silver thing above is a cup! Aftin and Anthony chose multiple traditions to bless their marriage, including the German “wedding toast” out of a bridal cup.
The chalice is a symbol of love, faithfulness and good luck. The bride takes the smaller cup in hand while the groom holds the larger cup.
Traditionally, whoever finishes drinking from their end first wears the pants in the relationship.
Aftin won by a few gulps, but it was totally fair. And pretty much everyone would probably agree she looks great in pants, too! Hahaha.
They also had a “Handfasting,” which is a tradition in multiple cultures and faiths. It symbolizes their love eternal, binding their souls for the rest of time.
It was a true privilege to see everyone celebrate the love of these two extraordinary people and I wish a long prosperous future for them both (also, I’m totally down to play some Magic the Gathering once the honeymoon is over).
Make sure to follow Kansas City Photography on Facebook!
Your photos are outstanding! I love the editorial content as well.
Thank you so much! It was an absolutely gorgeous and perfect day!