We were thrilled when Bill’s long-time friend, Chad, called to say he’d proposed - and even more excited when he followed that up with the idea that he and Shawna wanted us to photograph their big day!
Over the past several months we’ve shared alot of fun, food and laughs with these two - Chad is an avid photographer whose day job involves project management at Intel, and Shawna works in the trenches, battling for teens to stay healthy and alive, as a drug and alcohol counselor for a local school district. Of course these two best friends are crazy-in-love, but I was also struck by the solid foundation of their relationship - built on their joint commitment to family and friends, their church, and to just plain ‘doing the right thing’….it also doesn’t hurt that they know how to crack each other up ;-D
Shawna and ‘her girls’ started their day with hair and makeup at Brassfields Salon and Day Spa in University Place - the atmosphere was lively, fun and well organized - they were working with 3 wedding parties that morning! Still, they were attentive and accommodating - no one felt rushed and they did an excellent job of helping Shawna, Elaine and Holly look and feel gorgeous 
The wedding was held at Believers’ Fellowship , in Gig Harbor - Chad & Shawna are regular members there. Friend and Pastor, John Pleau, conducted an outstanding celebration of their marriage, sharing not just scriptures and vows, but tales of personal lessons learned and a few funny stories about Chad & Shawna, too.
The moment both had been anticipating for so long - I don’t think either of them was breathing here
First sight between Dad and daughter was such an emotional moment.
Shawna and Chad did an amazing job of planning ahead to prepare for the day - leaving themselves plenty of time to just relax and hang out with close family and friends before the ceremony….we LOVE that!
Of course the tireless efforts of church-wedding-coordinator-extraordinaire, Rita Ness, were a major key to keeping details of the day on track!
The look on Chad’s face says it all, doesn’t it?
A quite moment of prayer before the ceremony
A sneak peek while excitedly waiting their turn to walk down the aisle
Chad’s grandparents wore quietly proud smiles through the entire day.
This hug between Father of the Bride and Groom - how many emotions can one moment contain?
After the ceremony, we had fun whisking the bride and groom away from the church and to McCormick Woods golf and country club in Port Orchard - what a gorgeous venue for their reception! Since the four of us arrived early, we were able to sneak out onto the golf course and grab some fun shots of the newlyweds
DJ Mike Bozinski of That’s Entertainment is awesome! He was super entertaining and kept everyone informed - and made sure they had fun - during the reception.
Chad’s brother, Josh, kept us all laughing all day.
Hand made by their brides - Shawna chose to follow a tradition created by Chad’s parents and, later, Josh’s bride as well - She made Chad’s ring with her own hands! (and a little help from Chad’s father Dave)
The get-away car - a stylish end to a stylish day
We hope you guys are having an awesome time in Florida - see you soon!
~Erin and Bill
