Luke & Rachel | Reed City, MI Wedding

Luke and Rachel’s wedding was on a beautiful September day. We had a few sprinkles here and there, but for the most part the weather was perfect and the sky gave us some beautiful dramatic clouds. You’ll see some of those clouds in the photos below!

Luke and I are both nurses. I got to know him pretty well during his initial training to become a flight nurse (which if you didn’t know is my other job). I did most of his training, and really learned what a kind, gentle soul he is. After his training he worked at our sister base. He was there a couple of years when a position opened up at our base, and he was thinking really hard about transitioning. While he was deciding what to do, he asked me to send him a copy of what his schedule would look like. He told me that he had a girlfriend and was hoping to find a schedule that worked well with hers. I was so excited for him and couldn’t wait to meet Rachel. He ended up moving to our base and immediately fit in with our team. His transition was seamless. Rachel came to visit one day when Luke and I were on duty together, and I just knew that this was the perfect girl for him. She was so sweet, just as kind as Luke, and I could tell by the way she looked at him that she knew he was the one.

I came in one morning to work. Luke had been on the night shift, and I distinctly remember him waiting to talk to me before he left for home. He very calmly told me that he had proposed to Rachel and they would love for me to be their wedding photographer. He said he had already checked my schedule for the date, and I wasn’t working, but he didn’t know if I had anything else going on. After I let out a girly scream and yelled at him for not telling us sooner (it had been almost a week since he proposed), I said that of course I would photograph his wedding.

So that brings us to their wedding day and what I think are beautiful photographs and memories for them. You’ll see a lot more family and ceremony photos than I usually include in a blog post. I know everyone’s family is important, but Luke and Rachel are so family oriented, and their families truly made their day what it was. Luke and Rachel also had a very special ceremony. I know how special it was for them, and thought I should include it to show the whole story. They didn’t see each other that day until Rachel walked down the aisle. They were both filled with emotion when they saw each other. It was so heartwarming. Their ceremony was officiated by Luke’s dad who is a pastor. It was rich with scripture and thoughtful words from his dad, and they did a beautiful display of braiding a strand of three cords to signify inviting God into their marriage while Luke’s sister sang. They also shared their first kiss ever during their ceremony!! I loved this commitment they made to each other. I certainly don’t see it a lot anymore, but when I do, it just makes my heart so happy that two people can find love and know that they are right for each other without ever having a physical relationship beyond hugs and hand holding. This really showed me how much God was a part of their relationship, and once again I found myself fighting back tears during their ceremony so I could see through my viewfinder. There were a lot of tears on their wedding day, but they were all happy tears. Everyone was so happy and joyful. I think their joy just spilled out of their eyes in the form of tears. What a way to begin a marriage!

There was plenty of fun on their wedding day as well. They had a gorgeous bubble send off with a big surprise from their friends and family when they made it to their truck. You’ll have to scroll to the end to see what happened!

Luke and Rachel — Brad and I were so honored to be there with you to celebrate your wedding. I am so thankful for both of you as friends and to you, Luke as a friend and coworker. I hope we captured your day in a way that will make you cherish those memories forever! Congratulations!!