I just got back to San Diego from photographing a wedding in North Dakota! This wedding was very, very special to me. I got to be a wedding photographer AND bridesmaid to my cousin, Katie!! My husband, Pat definitely stepped up to the plate as lead photographer during the ceremony and bridal party portraits. I love the shots he captured…especially that emotional moment when Katie walked down the aisle to Steve. The look on his face was priceless. And as I stood next to Katie with the rest of the bridesmaids, I could hear all the girls (including myself) sniffling and wiping tears away.

Now some of you may be thinking….wait, she’s your cousin? You two look NOTHING alike. Ya, I get it. Almost everyone from North Dakota is blonde hair, blue eyed…including my mom. :) I get the Asian genes from my dad, who is full Japanese. But my mom’s side of the family is from the tiny town of Larimore, North Dakota and one summer as a young child, we took a trip back there to attend a big extended family reunion…which is where I met Katie! Apparently her great-grandpa and my great-grandma were siblings. So technically that makes Katie my…third cousin? I also just found out that I was related to the pastor who married Katie and Steve as well. Small world!

My family went back to North Dakota almost every summer when I was younger and each time, Katie and I were inseparable. We didn’t have phones yet so we would write letters to each other throughout the year and talk about what we had planned for the next summer. I can’t believe we’re both “all grown up” and married now! Katie was my bridesmaid last year at my wedding, so I was super excited and honored to stand by her side on her wedding day as well. Leading up to her wedding, I kept asking how she was doing and what I could do to help and she was seriously, so calm and on top of all the details! That is a true depiction of her personality. Katie has always been so laid back and Steve’s personality fits hers so perfectly. Pat and I love spending time with the two of them because we always have SO much fun. I couldn’t be happier for these two and loved that their wedding day went off without a hitch!

I may be a little biased, but I can honestly say that this wedding was one of the most epic and perfect weddings I’ve ever seen or been a part of. Steve and Katie have the biggest hearts and are always thinking of others before themselves. They were surrounded by family and friends who have so much love for them and were excited to celebrate their love. Steve’s family is from Ghana and I loved all the beautiful Ghanaian dresses and also that the DJ incorporated the different styles of music during the reception as well. Pat and I had wayyy too much fun with their awesome bridal party too! LOVE them. My favorite part was spraying the champagne in the air, trying to light the lantern and send it off in the wind (#fail), and dancing the night away with everyone. And as if the night couldn’t have gotten more crazy and fun….the bridal party and friends all ran and jumped in the pool at the end of the night!! BEST. DAY. EVER.

CONGRATULATIONS Katie & Steve! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Thank you to all the incredible vendors!

Venue | Grand Forks Country Club
Coordinator | Haley Halverson
Dress Store | Alan and Evan Bridal
Florals | Sadie’s Couture Florals
Hair & Makeup Artist | Tina Thorsell
DJ | DJ Barfour
Cake | O For Heaven’s Cakes N’ More
Catering | Grand Forks Country Club
Bridesmaid Dresses | Alan and Evan Bridal
Groomsmen Attire | Halberstadt’s
Jewelry | Royal Jewelers
Photography | Charissa Magno

 

And just for fun…I couldn’t miss this opportunity to post some embarrassing photos of myself and Katie when we were younger. So many fun memories! We would play at the river and jump off the rope swing, climb up the tree to our secret hang out spot at Grandma’s house, attend summer basketball camp, play pranks on our older brothers, and dress up in crazy outfits (and just for the record, the black lipstick was a one-time thing. We weren’t going through a weird goth phase!). We even made a time capsule box and buried it in Grandma’s backyard. I can’t remember what we put in there but years later, we tried to dig it up and we never could find it! Maybe 50 years down the road it will show up and we’ll laugh about whatever we put in that box. Love you, Katie!