Josie & Mike | La Quinta Country Club

archives, Weddings

I remember my initial phone call with Josie. She was having a very intimate wedding at the La Quinta Country Club. She would be happy eloping without the crowd but was mainly having a wedding per her family’s wishes. So all the extra frills that come with having a wedding day she was not interested in. I remember asking “are you sure you want photography?” because I wasn’t sure she did.

I was intrigued by Josie because while she was full of mystery for me and I didn’t know a lot, what I was sure of was that she knew exactly what she didn’t want and that she really loved her family.

The day before her wedding, she had a tonic-clonic seizure. She’d had multiple brain surgeries to prevent seizures from ever happening again and was on a pretty good streak before having one the day before her wedding. They prescribed her something to slow down brain activity for the day of her wedding. This set the stage for the day, where each smile was a gift, there was no time for drama or things that did not matter. When you’re met with the fragility of life, you live with intention. I was speechless and emotional behind my camera all day. To watch Josie lean into the relationships that mattered most, and laugh with her whole body. She was a LIGHT. To watch Mike care for her and lead her through each moment, protecting her, being a safe place for her. They floated through the day, I loved watching them look at each other. This made the rain in the forecast on her wedding day feel like a light breeze, they had to move to a plan b location for ceremony and all was well. My words don’t do this day justice. My hope is that my photos do. Josie & Mike you’re an inspiration and we were filled with honor to capture your wedding day. Each picture of you being your kind and goofy selfs fills me with gratitude to know you and to have been a witness to your day.