I always feel SO flattered when a fellow photographer reaches out to me about shooting their wedding. Jacqueline sent me one of the LONGEST emails I’ve ever gotten in an inquiry form, which if you’re wondering, is a fast way to become my best friend. I LOVE long emails. The more details, the better.
Jacqueline told me she and her fiance, Joey, are both passionate about traveling and seeing the world. They met through mutual friends who decided they HAD to meet because they’d be perfect for one another. They friended one another on Facebook and within a matter of weeks, Jacqueline bought a plane ticket to Arizona to visit him. Wild, right!? Immediately on their first weekend-long date, they both had a feeling that THIS was it, they’d found their people. They dated long-distance for over a year before Joey proposed. In her own words, “There are so many things I could say about Joey. As a New Mexican Air Force Parajumper and I an Idahoan ranch girl aspiring to be a Physician Assistant, we had to take a leap of faith with each other and it was the best decision we ever made. One of our first dates, we hiked up into the New Mexican Sandia mountains and along the hike, we encountered two black bears 30 yards in front of us on the trail. We found out two things that day. Joey is afraid of bears and I am fearless.”
Jax is from Idaho and her family history goes all the way back to the 1800s when her family homesteaded in Stanley, Idaho. In fact, her grandpa and uncle are both featured in photos at the Stanley Custer County museum! Idaho has always been Jax’s home and with the crazy beautiful mountains right there, she knew that was the only place in the world for her and Joey to get married. Stanely perfectly matched their crazy beautiful love story.
Their Sawtooth wedding was absolutely perfect. Jax chose a boho lace gown with bell sleeves and a low open back and did her own hair and makeup on the wedding day. When I showed up to start taking photos, she was alone in her cabin having her own zen morning. She did morning yoga, woke up with the sunrise, drank coffee- all by herself. She was SO calm and quietly excited for the best day ever. And I’ll never forget their first look because Joey collapsed on the ground and started laughing and crying. I heard him say, “How did I get so lucky?” about a thousand times. We took some photos at Stanley Lake and it was the most beautiful early fall/late summer day by the water.
During their ceremony, both Joey and Jax promised a life of adventure and pursuing one another’s individuals passions while encouraging the other person to always follow their dreams. I loved that these two care SO much about maintaining their own individual happiness, in order to make one another happy. They are two of the most independent people I’ve ever met who have created a life built around that foundation.
My favorite memory of their Sawtooth wedding day may have been long after the ceremony and dinner, when we snuck off to one of my favorite ridges in Stanley with a view of the Sawtooths. It seemed like sunset lasted forever and these two laughed effortlessly and skipped around the sage together. It was an honor to be in their presence and watch their love in front of me. I always say this, but it truly is like getting to watch my favorite romantic comedies every time I shoot a wedding.
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Can’t get enough boho inspiration for your own wedding? If you loved this Sawtooth wedding, check out this other Idaho wedding full of rust colors and boho details!
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