The calm in the storm.
What can I possibly say about these two… they’re wonderful. Even when things are going poorly, they are just wonderful. Can you imagine trying to get in touch with over a hundred people and half a dozen companies to coordinate a time that works for almost all of them and organize an event with only a couple days notice? No? Neither can I. Imagine doing that while you are sick with Covid… ugh. That was the gist of the phone call I received from Madison 2 days before her wedding was supposed to happen in September. She was calm, she was steady, she was direct… she was wonderful. She somehow pulled off getting all the vendors to switch dates at the last minute to a date she found in a packed wedding season that worked with all of the vendors, and got notice out to all the guests… once again, while starting to come down with Covid. I was just about crying at the end of her phone call, and it wasn’t me who had to do all of that crazy juggling, at least not nearly as much as she did.
Fast forward to a month after their original wedding date, on Charlie and Madison’s new wedding date, and the weather just doesn’t want to cooperate. There was so much rain, the cats and dogs that fell out of the sky at the beginning of the storm were complaining about how much rain was still coming. And the wind, oh that wind. But Charlie and Madison… still all smiles and full of excitement.
One of the other problems of the day was a slight wardrobe issue. The best man’s pants… yes… his pants… were lost. Gone. Charlie made a few phone calls and found out that the pants were not just misplaced, but seemingly nonexistent. There was no yelling, no crying, screaming, pointing… he just said, it’ll work out. His brother, the best man, went out and bought a new pair of pants and made it back just in time for some pictures before the ceremony.
There were other issues that happened and were dealt with, but I don’t need to go into every hiccup of the day. However, they were able to be resolved quickly and quietly, and I don’t think many people had any idea that anything had happened at all.
When you hear all of this you might be tempted to think that this celebration was a bust, and if it had been anyone else running the show it might have been. But with Charlie and Madison at the helm, I’m pretty sure the floodwaters could have come up to the back door and they somehow would have kept everyone calm, and kept the party going, and the only thing people would be talking about the next day was how much fun it was, and how beautiful Madison looked. It’s funny, looking back at the wedding I never once thought that there were so many issues that came up until I started to write this. I was only thinking about the actual storm happening outside that threw a wrench in my plans for beautiful outdoor portraits. But as I was thinking back to the events of the day… a lot went wrong. In each of those instances though, Charlie’s first thought was always to do what was best for Madison, and her first thought was always to do what was best for Charlie. Next, they each always tried to do what was best for the guests. Not only dealing with the issues, but doing so in a selfless way…. wow. Even with everything that went wrong, what never went wrong was Charlie and Madison. Every issue that came up was handled with a calm grace that I can’t even think of a word to describe how much it impressed me.
If there is anything I have learned about marriage, it’s that things will go wrong. My prayer for you two is that you always handle every issue, the same way you did on your two wedding dates. With immeasurable calmness, and impossible grace, always for each other, as a team.
Let me also add that this was my first time doing an event at Osbornia Farm, and as you can see, it is a beautiful property! However, seeing that the weather forecast for Charlie and Madison’s wedding day was looking pretty bad, and realizing that I probably wouldn’t get a chance to get some good venue shots on the day of their wedding, I took the opportunity to grab a couple quick shots of the outside while we attended the rehearsal the evening before, and I’m so glad I did, because that turned out to be a perfectly beautiful fall evening, and sure enough, I didn’t make it outside even once on their actual wedding day because it was so windy and rainy! I just wanted to clear up any confusion you might have at seeing these outside venue pictures with clear blue skies while I talk all about how rough the weather was all day. So there you have it. :)
While I stayed inside the building with the girls during the getting ready time, my sweet second shooter husband was brave enough to take Charlie and his groomsmen outside for some quick portraits. He was able to keep them mostly out of the rain while he stood out in the storm getting pretty wet. He said that was some pretty cold rain too. Anything to get the shot, right?
After all the getting ready, Madison shared a sweet First Look with her dad, followed by a “No Look” moment of prayer with Charlie right before the ceremony.
After some deliberating the night before, Charlie and Madison decided to keep the same room setup for both the ceremony and reception, with a simple aisle of a few chairs in place just for the ceremony. I thought it worked out wonderfully! And as you can see, sunflowers were the main decor theme, which was fitting as they provided a fun pop of color on this dreary day!
I’m so glad that we were able to help Charlie and Madison celebrate with their friends and family, even though it took a lot of people scrambling around making a lot of last minute changes to make this wedding happen, it was all worth it, and it turned out amazing! Best wishes Charlie and Madison on your new married life together!
Ceremony & Reception | Osbornia Farm
Hair & Makeup | First Impressions Hair Salon & Brooke Stoltzfus - Beauty Unveiled Salon
Florist | Kim Kauffman
Catering | Yoder’s Catering
Bridesmaids Dresses | David’s Bridal
Groomsmen Attire | Jos. A. Bank