Whenever I photograph a wedding, I am overwhelmed by the fact that I, me, little 'ol Shelby Payne, get to document two individuals tie the knot in front of family and friends. It's SO fantastic to come to a wedding and be a guest, but it happens to be the greatest honor to come and capture it!!
Jaclyn is the kindest and spunkiest northwest native and her hilarious and gentle better half, Philip, comes from a quaint city in Australia. They met while Jackie was studying abroad, and the rest was beautiful history!! They chose to celebrate in Hawaii because it was conveniently in the middle for both families and closest friends- who happened to be the only guests at this lovely, intentional, and intimate wedding. Lets just say I did not complain one ounce at the choice of location!!
Frankly, I did not meet Jaclyn until 3 weeks before their gorgeous Hawaiian wedding celebration. Jaclyn and her fiancé, Philip, had been living in Australia and had just returned to the Northwest prior to their big day, so I was so anxious to be able to meet her. Jackie sweetly explained her wedding as: Ethereal, elegant, and whimsical, and I was grinning from ear to ear with anticipation!! Meeting Jackie was the freshest breath of air, and I left our coffee date feeling SO incredibly stoked to fly to Hawaii and capture the most beautiful celebration of love. I had to keep pinching myself over and over again, because traveling to my first destination wedding was simply way too surreal!!
I embarked on the journey with my videography pals from Shifted Cinema, and we headed south west for Oahu. The Bourdons were way too good to us and booked us a spot right on the gorgeous beach. For my first time in Hawaii, I was livin' the life!!! Man, I am so soo blessed.
Coupled with the gorgeous scenery of the Dillingham Ranch and the most energetic wedding party, I had a ginormous hunch that this was going to be a wedding weekend I would remember for the rest of my days... I can confidently say I was spot on!
Yoga at sunrise, handmade bouquets, confetti tosses, dance parties, 24 guests, an acoustic band, and everything in between.
They were even patient enough to let me take photos of them under the Milky Way. Um, what..? How did I get so lucky??!!
ALL OF THE FEELS, Y'ALL.
I was the only one at the wedding that did not have a connection to any of attendees... Yet, all their love and joy was so evident, I felt like I knew them for 17 years. Again, VERY blessed to be invited in as the only stranger, and to leave as a friend.
The photos that follow are some of my most treasured works to date. Jaclyn + Phillip are stunning individuals who are in a deep love, and who happen to be extremely photogenic and easy to work with. Besides having that added to the equation, I strongly believe I had never produced a collection of photos to this quality, before this grand Hawaiian adventure I was gifted with.
Please, take a moment to gander at some fantastic views, alluring faces, and sweet, sweet memories!
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Jaclyn & Nicole, a bridesmaid, picked out each serving of wine to pair with every course- then explained the sentimental or flavorful value. So cool!!
The media team!
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