Let me start out by saying, if you're looking for the Thriller video, this is the correct place to see it.  Scroll all the way to the bottom if you don't want to read the details about this awesome couple.  (You're missing out though if you skip ahead!)

 

I normally don't post a blog from a wedding I shot until I am ready to post pictures from the whole day and they've been edited, etc.  I've been involved with so many parts of Jeremy and Ann Marie's engaged and now married life, but have had photos and videos I couldn't post until now.  These two have been an unbelievable joy to work with and I hope we have many more opportunities to work with them going forward.  Their love for one another is infectious and they are just a fun couple to be around.  It has been a pleasure and an honor to be able to work with you both!  

 

It started when Jeremy first contacted me in December of 2012 to photograph him proposing to his then girlfriend on New Years Eve.  It was the first time I had the pleasure of doing something like that with someone, but I was completely psyched to do it!  His plan was to have a beautiful dinner at Bev's on the River and have me approach them like a media person interviewing them about drinking on New Years Eve.  I was posing as a member of "Stay Classy Iowa".  I am not a videographer and don't normally do video.  That said, I couldn't resist the opportunity to video a proposal.  Seemed like it would make my interview story more legit too anyway!  My interview skills are pretty rough and my audio on the video was a bit of a struggle, but I think the video says all that needs to be said about that moment.  Jeremy likes to point out that the first words out of her mouth after he asked were, "No…."  :)  

 

Enjoy this video and pics from their proposal.

 

Then came the engagement shoot - which turned into one of the messiest, craziest shoots I've done to date, but it was a blast!  Have I mentioned how much fun these two are?

 

THEN came the secret wedding.  Not secret because they wanted to keep loved ones out of the loop, but secret because they wanted their destination wedding in the Dominican Republic to be special for themselves, but also for everyone involved.  Getting married in the courthouse before their beach wedding just made all of the legal stuff easier and hassle free for them so things could go smoothly out of the country.  They're not the first to have to go this route, but I was so glad they were interested in having photos taken just so these special moments could still be treasured.  That said, even though they were just getting married in the Courthouse, these two weren't going to let their wedding day go to waste!  This was the first wedding I got to be a witness in.  :)  Not to mention having to keep a secret for almost a year!

 

Then the beach wedding happened which sadly I was unable to be a part of due to the outrageously high resort fees charged for bringing in an outside photographer.  So I don't have any photos taken by me to show off from the Dominican.  They did get some gorgeous photos from their destination wedding though!  They just weren't by me.  

 

Fast forward to yesterday which was the big reception day!  I have been anticipating this day for quite some time!  6 months to a year ago, they told me about the "Thriller" dance that Jeremy and his friends do at every wedding they are a part of!  I got to see some iPhone footage and was immediately excited about this happening at their reception!  The reception was beautiful and their hard work was very evident as they put a lot of thought into the details and events they had planned for their day!  They both have wonderful families and friends as well so it was nice getting to visit with each of them!  Since the reception was just yesterday, I don't have a lot of pictures to share yet, but here are a few - 

 

The photo booth was a huge hit last night as well!  I won't post those pics because, what happens in the photo booth should probably stay in the photo booth!  But it was a lot of fun!  

 

And last but not least, the thing I've been eagerly anticipating for months, the Thriller performance by Jeremy and his friends!  This was one of those things that really needed to be recorded on video to be fully appreciated.  Pictures alone just don't do it justice.  Out came the videography again!  I think the audio is a little better this time around!  Unless you hang with their crowd, you might not ever get to witness something like this in person! It was definitely a special thing to witness and I will remember it for a long time to come! So much fun!  Enjoy the video!

THRILLER!

There were also some technical difficulties from the DJ during the reception with the audio so if you missed their highlight video and wanted to watch it again, here it is: Click play below!  (NOTE, video contains photos from their childhood through their Dominican wedding).  I did not photograph all of these photos and am not claiming to take credit for all of them.  (I did take some though!)