I don’t normally write blog posts for events like a bridal shower, but this one is very special to me because my best friend is getting married! She has been waiting her whole life for the perfect man to walk into her world and love her unconditionally, just as much as she does him. Mallory found that love and is ready to tie the knot, and we could not be more excited!

Mallory and Jimmy unexpectedly met one night out in Fallston, MD and it didn’t take long for the love to ignite. They had their first official date just a few weeks later, and their fun-loving relationship continued them on their journey to buying their first home together and caring for their black lab fur babies, Cole and Mae. Jimmy has a heart the size of Texas and loves with everything he has, and he has been so in love with Mallory, his best friend, soulmate, and queen, since day one… but he isn’t one to bring the attention to himself, and that was difficult for him when it came time to propose. He came to my husband, Michael, and I on multiple occasions working through all of his ideas on how he would like to propose, but these ideas just didn’t come to life because the timing never quite worked out. Well, August of 2016 rolled around and so did the beautiful sunflower farms, one of Mallory’s favorite flowers. Jimmy and I were chatting once again about how he had his grandmother’s ring, given to him by his grandfather, and he just needed the perfect opportunity to ask Mallory to marry him. We decided that I would ask them to be my photography test subjects like I had so many times in the past because I wanted to photograph a couple in the sunflowers for my portfolio… way back when I first started this journey. During their photographs, Jimmy would propose to Mal, and I would capture the whole thing on camera! She would have no idea, it was fairly private, and it would be in one of Mal’s favorite places. It was perfect.

But we all know that life isn’t that easy, and once again a wrench was thrown into Jimmy (Jam’s) plans to ask his best friend to be his wife, his partner, and his best friend for the rest of their days, in sickness and in health. Mal received news that she lost a friend and she was devastated. She had cried all day, her eyes were puffy, and Jimmy just didn’t feel like the timing was right… and he may have been right, but we had a heart to heart and I shared with him that life is always going to throw us curve balls. When you love someone… you show them. You can never guarantee tomorrow, and today, right now, this was the time. So we all piled into the car later than planned, Mal singing crazy obnoxious songs in the back seat like she does, and Jimmy sitting nervously next to her, refusing to hold her hand because he knew she would catch on to his anxiety due to the sweat covering his palms. We were racing the sunset, hoping to arrive at the sunflower fields while the sun was still above the trees. Jimmy was so nervous, but the good kind of nervous. He was in love and wanted everything to be perfect. He wanted her to be shocked and in awe and forever remember this moment…

When we arrived, we jumped out of the car, Michael set up the tripod and the video camera, I grabbed my camera, checked lighting and kept my fingers crossed that my first camera, my cheap Canon Rebel would hold up to the dark environment and the setting sun behind the dense trees and the thick field of sunflowers. The first thing I asked them to do was walk along the sunflowers, hand in hand, away from the camera. As they did, I gently placed Jimmy’s grandmother’s wedding ring upon a single pedal of the most beautiful sunflower I could find, while pretending to still be taking photographs of them as they walked away from me. When the ring was secure and they reached the end of the field, I asked them to turn around. Meanwhile, Jimmy and I hadn’t thought through how I would tell him which sunflower it was on, so we both looked at each other with a moment of panic! All we needed was for him to grab the wrong flower or for them to bump into the right one and lose the ring across the field! My hands were shaking so much, I could barely take pictures, but in a split second Jimmy and I made eye contact and we made a silent plan. As I gave them directions for “posing” Jimmy understood every word I was sharing with him… I asked them to scooch, scooch, scooch so the lighting was just right (really so they were in front of the ring), and I instructed Mallory to turn around and smell one of the sunflowers that Jimmy had carefully pulled down for her. So, Mal turns around, CLOSES HER EYES, and sniffs that sunflower like her life depended on it! My shutter was firing rapidly so I wouldn’t miss her reaction, and her reaction never came. We were dying but trying so hard not to give away the surprise unnaturally. So Jimmy grabbed her by the arm, pulled her in close and asked her to open her eyes… when she did, she wasn’t actually looking at the flower, and for another few seconds she had no idea her ring was hanging upon the petals… but when she did, she pulled away, covered her mouth and her face with her hands, and started crying. She cried out, “Are you f*ing serious?” and then “If I can breathe, of course, it’s a Yes!” She was so shocked and excited that she was in disbelief and ugly cried happy tears in his arms. You can check out their short engagement video here… (thank you for keeping in mind that I have come a long way since then!)

Since that evening in the sunflower field, wedding planning and celebrations have been underway! This bridal shower is just one of many during their journey to forever. I am so proud and honored to be a part of the amazing, supportive, and loving bride squad Mallory picked for her wedding day. We make a strong team and the love and commitment to each other and our best friend is fierce and real! We had so much fun showering Mallory with love, laughter, gifts, and friends as we celebrate her journey to becoming a bride!

THE CREATIVE TEAM

event design & planning: Corinne Phillips • cake: Wendy DiBastiani and Jessica Wood

games: Brady Greer • food: Gail Butler

bride squad: Corinne Phillips, Jessica Wood, Brady Greer, Anna Lee