Kristen & Russ | Wedding

He swirled the last dregs of his drink in his glass. The conference had run long, he was tired and more than ready to go home. Looking up from the cocktail table he saw a bright spot in the sea of colleagues. She stood out like a beacon of hope; blond hair, stunning good looks a smile that could light up a room. Walking over, he realized all had not been lost at this conference after all. They talked for hours, she about her young son and family back in Wisconsin, he about his love for boating, skiing and his friends who were a family to him in Chicago. He surprised himself with the energy that he found to describe his life to her. It seemed so important to him to lay it all out, every detail, every desire, every wish. When they parted that evening he watched her walk away wistfully and hoped it wouldn't be the last time he saw her. The next evening he found himself again at the cocktail table, drink in hand, a desire to return home in his heart. "Excuse Me," he heard behind him. He turned around and it was her, his face lit up. "What you described yesterday, I've given it some thought, and I think that sounds pretty good to me. In fact, I think it sounds great." she said with a coy smile. And there it was. He had unconsciously screened this woman as his perfect mate, and she had turned out to be exactly the one. He held out his arm, she linked hers thru it and off they walked, out of the conference and into the future.







I'll be honest, I took a lot of liberties with that story, but it is based on a few comments Russ made during his toast at the reception about how he met Kristin. It is all I have to go on since I don't actually know their story, and my memory being what it is, I did have to embellish some. Kristin booked me for their wedding just four days before it occurred when she suddenly found herself without a photographer, so there really wasn't time to learn about them beforehand. How lucky I was though to get to spend their lovely morning wedding with them, followed by a lunch reception at the Town Club in Fox Point.








Regardless of our brief relationship, it was still a joy to meet Kristin, Russ and their family. It was clear that in their hearts they were already wed, and their desire to cement their families together with their union was palpable. Their joy was everywhere. In every step, smile and gesture. The pastor was careful to include vows for not only the couple, but also for Kristin's son Nicky and Russ's daughter Lani as well. He even had their immediate families stand and vow to support, love and encourage them in their relationship. I've never seen that done before, and I loved it. Afterall, it is the shoulders of those who have married before us that we stand on when we are up at that altar ourselves, they who we look to for guidance, example and solace.



Nicky behaved beautifully throughout the ceremony, but I was thrilled to catch this impatient moment:








Kristin's grandparents were cute as a button:


Enjoy the slideshow!