Wedding | A Nebraska Wedding with Four, yes FOUR, Ceremonies

For the last year I’ve been photographing Wendy, Mike & their sweet pom, Bandit in preparation for their wedding day. They had two engagement sessions, countless texts, emails and excited Instagram posts leading up to the day. And what a day is was! Four beautiful ceremonies over fourteen hours, each more lovely than the next. Their wedding was a perfect blend of culture, faith, and love; a love beginning in the third grade, if you can believe it.

My day started at six that morning when I stumbled out of my Airbnb bedroom into the shared bathroom, marking the one and only time I will ever share a bathroom with a stranger. My housemate happened to be naked except for a tiny pair of underwear; making for the most memorable start to any wedding day ever, but even more so because this affair turned out to be one of the absolute most moving, memorable wedding days overall.

I met Wendy & her bridesmaids at 7:30 at a salon. We traveled from salon to Wendy’s home, meeting up with the guys for the first tea ceremony. The tea ceremony was beautiful and inviting and formal. Gifts were given, advice and well wishes were exchanged. Before I knew it we were off to Mike’s house to repeat the process over again. They also had some really tasty Vietnamese food which I happily devoured. Two full tea ceremonies were over, but our day wasn’t even half done. We traveled to the reception venue to prepare for the remaining formalities. The first was a full Catholic mass within the most gorgeous church, and the second an intimate sunset vow ceremony beneath a large tree. I don’t think their was a dry eye in the place at the last event, and obviously Bandit made his appearance, doggy tux and all.

By 9:30 that night I was wiped out and completely overwhelmed by everything I’d witnessed. When I returned to my Airbnb I couldn’t sleep. (Thankfully my housemate had already made his departure.) It reminded me a lot of my own wedding night. How my husband and I shut down our reception early because we were so tired, only to find ourselves so wound up we couldn’t get to bed until 3 that morning. I can’t even imagine how exhausted Wendy & Mike must’ve been once everything was said and done, as I left them partying into the night with their guests. They had two weeks in Europe to rest up afterward though, so I can’t feel too sorry for them.

I cannot thank Wendy & Mike enough for finding me, choosing me, and having me travel quite a distance to capture their wedding day. I wish them (and Bandit) many happy years together!