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photography
There was no way around it. If this failed, there would be no way to hide it. All the prep, all the promotion, all the expectation...all culminating with the possibility of me calling the whole thing off. That is the thing with visions and dreams and risk and failure. They all seem to often go hand in hand.
after last weekend's wedding..i am pretty sure its hard to beat colorado in september. what a privilege it was to land in the centennial state and make my way up into the mountains for jessica and dylan's wedding celebration. when your views look like they did for me, you have to tell yourself over and over to keep your eyes on the road...such a beautiful place!
i actually met dylan and jessica via Skype when our family was still living over in oxford for the year. it was so incredible to have a chance to get to know them and plan for the wedding day, while we were living nearly 5,000 miles away from each other! but everything came together, and oh how magical it was! from the detailed direction of our wedding planner juls, to the perfectly timed snow gracing the tops of the surrounding peaks..it was a perfect day!
thank you d&j for such a lovely weekend. it was a true pleasure meeting your friends and family, and an honor to document such a joyous occasion! say hi to those pups for me, and blessings to you as you start this new and beautiful chapter together!
all the best,
-npe
where to start with these two? giovanna and daniel were some of our first friends in oxford..introducing us to a true sunday pub experience, welcoming us into the community of our little church in the city, and befriending our children. daniel had grown up near san francisco, not far from where my parents currently live..and we immediately realized that we had a lot in common surrounding photography, sound engineering, and all the geeky details in between. granted, daniel is a biochemist with a phd working with dna sequencing in oxford...so there is quite a large gap on the intelligence spectrum between us, but that didn't seem to hinder the friendship, ha!
when d&g got engaged in paris, they talked about a wedding in italy and i was so very honored to be welcomed into that conversation with the possible privilege of documenting the day. with plans in place for the wedding to be back near giovanna's hometown, we worked to nail down details for the few days i would be in country..which we realized was no small task! giovanna took on a great deal of trust in me, having to rely on her own knowledge of traditional weddings in italy, with the perspective i was bringing along with daniel's vision for uniting two cultures on such a special day.
in the end, it was an incredible day - through and through! all the hard work and attention to detail, timelines, logistics, and possible roadblocks...daniel and giovanna truly settled in and lived in the moment, a hope and prayer i have for each of my clients. they bridged the cultural gap between america and italy with grace and it was such a delight to watch these two families become one. and i have to say, italian weddings are amazing! to watch giovanna's friends and family welcome daniel in with plenty of kisses and even language barriers in great abundance..it was incredible.
thank you giovanna & daniel...i know you put a great deal of trust in a person who was so far from the planning and details of the day, and i don't take that lightly. i was able to watch your wedding unfold in all the honesty and beauty that it was, recognizing that at the center of it all was your mutual and passionate love for Jesus, and His design of what marriage was made for. jana and i hope and pray to come visit you sooner rather than later, but in the meantime...all grace and peace to you two as you begin your married lives together. we love you dearly!
blessings,
-npe
this past weekend took me north to crystal mountain and the homestead resort, two of my favorite wedding destinations in northern michigan. on saturday i joined katie and brian at their wedding celebration and enjoyed a truly wonderful day with the bride and groom and their wedding party. as we overlooked miles of stunning michigan greenery from their mountaintop ceremony site, brian and katie pledged their lives to one another, just beating the rain by a few minutes. but even the clouds and soaked clothes couldn't dampen this party as friends and family danced the night away as day turned to night.
thank you brian and katie for welcoming me into your wedding party, as i felt like just another dear friend, present to witness your vows and help cheer on the start of your married lives together. it was an honor and i hope you enjoy this sneak peak of your gorgeous wedding day, and all the memories that hopefully will come flooding back for years to come!
blessings,
-npe
so i shot a celebrity wedding this past weekend...
well, if you ask derek and amanda, they may not agree..but i know the truth! i even told amanda "hey, i didn't know i was shooting the wedding of two celebrities!" when your bride is often on tv sharing her abundance of knowledge in the health and wellness field, and your groom seems to have constant VIP access to some of the biggest shows in the music and entertainment industry, that has the makings of a power couple for sure, haha.
but all kidding aside, these two were so much fun! against the backdrop of the elegant amway grand plaza hotel in grand rapids, a stunning day unfolded with all the details and joy a photographer could hope for. surrounded by beloved friends and family, derek and amanda committed their lives to one another, and i had the honor of witnessing it. what a privilege it is to do this job!
d&a, thank you so very much for the gift of your trust all day. it was such a great day and to share it with you was an honor! blessings to you guys in your marriage*
- npe
i am so grateful for the people i meet and the relationships i discover in my line of work. when you work in the world of people's memories and life changing moments, you get a unique perspective on the power of relationship and the beauty of sacrificial love. all in all, i don't think shooting weddings will ever get old to me. and i don't mind a bit*
for the first wedding of 2015, jana and i made the trip out to the pacific northwest and my home state of washington. i had the privilege of meeting james and tressa through jana...who actually grew up just a few houses down from tressa when they were kids. how cool it was to jump the gap in time and join them on their wedding day after tressa and jana and shared so many childhood memories before families moved away.
when the soon to be married couple invited us to be a part of their ceremony in seattle and photograph the day, we jumped at both the excitement of being with them on their special day and also the chance to revisit seattle and the surrounding beauty that is pretty much all of washington!
needless to say, it was a great trip, filled with old friends, new friends, great coffee, evergreen trees, rain, sun, and a whole lot of adventure! j&t, thank you so much for allowing jana and i to share in your day. it was an honor, and i hope you enjoy this little preview of what was an incredible start to 2015!
- npe
my final wedding for the 2014 season was spent of the east side of the state and was an especially wonderful affair as i hadn't had the chance to shoot on the east side much this year....and of course, the bride and groom were just too much fun to work with!
michelle's daughter whitney met me at a wedding i shot a while back and so graciously mentioned my work to her mom as michelle was beginning to plan her wedding day...and i am so thankful that i had the privilege of being a part of this joyful, hilarious, emotional, and exciting day!
from shooting clay pigeons in the morning, to dancing to live mariachi and classic rock bands in the evening, martin and michelle made the very most of a stunning october day in michigan!
m&m, what a fun, fun day! seriously..i had such a blast for the last wedding of the year for me, and i have you to thank. it was an absolute privilege to spend the day with you and your families. may God richly bless you in the years to come, i wish you all the best!
- npe
this past saturday i drove up to traverse city, making my way through the changing colors of fall as the sun rose through broken clouds. come rain or shine, i knew it would be a great day..as meredith, a longtime friend of my wife and i, was walking down the aisle to marry her best friend ryan*
my wife met meredith when we first got married, seven years ago, as they were both working as CNAs in an assisted living home. as the years have passed, meredith has become a nurse and now lives in the stunning michigan town of traverse city. sharing the day with her and ryan was so great, as i was welcomed into the wedding party as just one of the friends! meredith and ryan truly lived in the moment on their wedding day, and it made for a whole lot of fun with photos and a night of celebration that their friends and family enjoyed to the fullest!
r&m, you know jana would have loved to be there with you..but let me just say for the both of us, congratulations on such a beautiful day, and many blessings to you two as this is just the start of your lives together as husband and wife. we couldn't be happier for you! much love from your friends in grand rapids!!
- npe
i've said it a few times now, and maybe its time to make it a reality!
i hear some pretty entertaining, funny, sweet, endearing, ridiculous things on a wedding day, and i've said that i should write a book someday with all the memorable quotes i've heard at weddings. if nothing else, at least it would be entertaining for me, haha!
well, this past friday held yet another day full of memorable quotes and moments for zach and carrie...but there was one thing i heard more than once. i actually heard it more times than i can remember, and it came from an absolutely stunning bride.
..."isn't he cute!?"
i heard carrie say this so many times and how she just couldn't get over how dashing her husband looked. honestly, its little things like this that prick my heart. they confirm in my mind that love is joyful, sometimes boisterous, often passionate, and always unashamed!
what a fabulous day* zach and carrie, you showed me time and time again on friday that you really did trust me, and for that i cannot say thank you enough. to put in my hands the task of capturing your wedding was a gift that i would gladly accept again in a heartbeat.
oh, and i'll be thinking of you two come this winter, when we are all enjoying another polar vortex and you two slip off to jamaica! love you guys, i wish you all the very best.
blessings,
nathan
floral - horrocks market
photography - nathan english photography
cake - the cakabakery
catering - the catering company
dj - curtis avison
makeup and hair design - friends of the bride
where to begin...
a few weeks ago, i found myself on the shores of lake michigan..preparing to photograph what would turn out to be an absolutely stunning wedding day for two pretty awesome people. brianne and lee first introduced themselves to me during their engagement session as self proclaimed hippies! and let me tell you, the uniqueness and style of these two is through the roof and beyond!
i knew i was going to be in for something incredible when they asked me to be a part of their bohemian beachside wedding. it was certainly an honor to be entrusted with the responsibility of documenting their beautiful day...and trust me, their day had it all! vibrant color, stunning clouds, joyful family, incredible food, amazing details...and yes, even some romantic rain to bring an even more memorable chapter to an unforgettable day.
and not only was it a delight to spend the day with the bride and groom, but i was able to witness an incredible group of vendors work together to create a spectacular setting for bri and lee. rhiannon nicole and her team at hey gorgeous events blew me away with planning and bringing to life a truly gorgeous celebration!
l & b...you two are infectiously joyous and obviously head over heals for each other. thank you again for the honor of being at your side through an amazing day. blessings in your marriage my friends!!
much love,
-npe
