Michelle + Colby tied the knot on August 16, 2014 at the beautiful University of Illinois Arboretum in Urbana-Champaign. Read about their wedding experience in the Q&A below!
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1. What was your favorite moment from the day?
My favorite moment was seeing the interaction between all members of the bridal party during the group pictures. Although the party was comprised of subsets of friends, some of whom have never met others, everyone “clicked” together- they were on the same wavelength of humor, silliness, and kindness. It was as if they had all been friends before!
One of Colby’s favorite moments was the cake cutting. We definitely did not do the traditional feed-each-other-while-linking-arms pose. I actually straight up started shoveling spoonfuls of cake in my mouth, leaving him in the dust (but not for long). It was all impromptu but I was looking forward to the cake for a whole year! What do you expect?
Okay, I do have one more moment: I danced with my bridesmaid, Candace, A LOT. So much to the point where I felt I could have been marrying her that day. Our friendship knows no bounds… especially when accompanied by our Queen favorites.
2. What was most important to you in planning your wedding?
To be true to ourselves. We felt that many traditional and mainstream wedding related things just didn’t fit us. I love minimalism and offbeat things. Plus, we’re silly and if anyone knew us, they wouldn’t be surprised that our ceremony was lighthearted, fun, and laid back. In fact, it was so “us” that we were incredibly relaxed throughout the wedding day.
3. What was the biggest challenge?
Our biggest challenge was planning from afar. We currently live in Virginia and trying to put together a big celebration in Illinois was a bit overwhelming. Luckily, we were able to tackle the big things (e.g. venues, cake, DJ, etc.) on a summer trip out there and we had friends help us out with the smaller things. It was a bit of a destination wedding for us 🙂
4. What factors other than photos went into your decision on a wedding photographer? Why did you decide to pick me?
As musicians, Colby and I appreciate and value the craft of any artist, be it music, dance, theatre, writing, art, or anything. I first met Courtney when I was a bridesmaid for my maid of honor, Molly’s wedding and fell in love with the photos from her special day. I was looking at art. Each photo captured emotion and atmosphere, holding them still enough for the viewer to experience the moment, too. And I see that throughout all of Courtney’s photos from the other weddings she has featured on her blog. I don’t know these people, yet I laugh, smile and tear up when I wander through their collection of pictures. Courtney’s talent and passion is evident in each shot, and to us, that is true artistry.
5. From booking to delivery of images and seeing the results, what in your mind made it the right choice for us to collaborate? Did anything surprise you?
After several interactions online, by phone and in person, we felt as if we were working with a friend. Colby and I were convinced that if we had met Courtney on different circumstances, we would still totally become friends. When I picked Courtney up from the airport, we had no problem chatting the whole three hours down to Champaign. It really did feel as if I had known her for a while.
We were also relieved to have made a friend who is equally obsessed with her cat as we are with ours 😉
6. What’s next for you as a couple ?
A few things already happened! Right after the wedding, we had a number of awesome things come our way: Colby promoted to Senior Airman, I’m starting a lesson studio, and our next assignment is in Germany! Can anyone say 4-year honeymoon? We will definitely travel a lot; I hope to fulfill my life-long dream of taking the Orient Express to Budapest!
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Michelle and Colby, thank you for being so laid back and easy to work with. From our first meeting during your VA engagement session to our farewells before heading our separate ways the morning after your wedding, I enjoyed every second of working with you! I concur with what you said in #5 above and am glad that through this process we have become friends (with cats!) 🙂
To view all of the photos from Michelle and Colby’s wedding and order prints, you can view their gallery on my print service.
