When I met Eric we were living in Iowa at the time. He would tell stories of his adventures, his old friends and his previous homes. I came to know his friends through these stories, and eventually through Facebook too. It was at our wedding that I finally met Ben, one of Eric’s closest friends, and it was so cool to see this person I’d heard so much about in person and see the three of them (including their best friend Dustin) interacting together like old times.
This, I’m sure, is very similar to what Courtnee experienced when we arrived in Wichita. We finally met her in person, and she finally met Eric whom she’d heard so much about. I loved getting to see everyone again in their own town this time, being introduced to the places from those old stories. Watching Ben and Courtnee interact it was easy to see how in love they are. Eric mentioned a few times that he’d never seen Ben so happy. It was amazing to hang out with them together leading up to the wedding day, and then spend their big day with them as well.
We started the day down by the river at Wichita’s famous Keeper of the Plains with their two dogs. It was cool to do photos somewhere so meaningful and so “Wichita” for them. Following that we got breakfast at a diner that had the best biscuits and gravy I’ve ever eaten! From there the day began to get real. Courtnee left for her makeup appointment and the getting ready began. Friends started to show up and pretty soon we were all carpooling downtown to the courthouse!
The ceremony was short but sweet, exactly what you’d want from a courthouse ceremony, and we followed it with photos of all the loved ones who made it out. Having only two weeks to plan and get everything organized, it was amazing to see how perfectly it all came together. Everyone really rallied around these two, and you could see how much love and support they have in their lives.
Following the courthouse we gathered at the Wine Dive where we were treated to delicious food and drink. Ben and Courtnee cut their sunflower-topped cake, the perfect end to a perfect day. It was such an honor to be part of their beautiful day, finally meeting everyone who mean so much to them, and documenting it all along the way. Take a peek at some of my favorite moments from their day:
