As they both entered the temple for the last time as two separate and single people, Sarah reached out to give her soon-to-be husband an affectionate kiss on the cheek, it was at that moment – and moments are what make life so extraordinary- I realized what an incredibly special moment it was. These two people would enter the Temple separate in body, mind and spirit, and would exit the other side in a matter of a couple of hours, transformed, sealed to one another for time and eternity. The next kiss shared between these two would be as husband and wife. This one photograph says so much: love, trust, and commitment that two people would give to one another. Friday, January 17th, Sarah and Kevin were to be married in the LA Temple. Meeting at BYU-Idaho, it did not take long for these two to know they had found their soul mates, and as the story goes, fell in love and followed their hearts.
Family members and friends began to gather outside the Temple around noon, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the newlyweds. The Mormon Temple in Los Angeles sits right on Santa Monica Boulevard, amidst many thousands of people that pass by it all day, by both car and on foot. There is no other city in the US like LA; second only to NYC in it’s population. LA’s uniqueness is somewhat hard to explain. It is crowded, it is big, it is home to movie stars and television personalities, artists of all kinds, vegans and health conscious folks, fashion trends and many miles of beautiful coastline. If you have never driven the I-5, plan accordingly. What should take 15 minutes, can easily take up to 2 hours. But with all of this, LA still has a local community aspect to it, people feel connected. There is just something very special about LA.
I travel quite a bit for assignments, but my clients are mainly east coast based. Once I traveled as far as Burma, which was amazing, but that post is for another time. I think it was a Saturday night; I was in my studio doing some work when the phone rang. It was Jim, father of the bride, who shared with me that his youngest daughter, Sarah, would be getting married and he was looking for a wedding photographer. She was getting married at the Mormon Temple in LA. I was recommended by a mutual friend, who is a wonderful and talented commercial photographer based in LA. I first want to share with you that I love what I do. My father once told with me that success is not measured by the amount of money in your bank account, (and for me that is a good thing, because if that were the case I would be in a lot of trouble) but that finding the one thing that you love to do, and doing it the very best you can, is where you will find happiness and success. It did not take long; Jim and I hit it off right away. We scheduled a separate call for Sarah, and her mother and I to discuss what she had in mind for her wedding. We talked about all sorts of things; what she does, her fiancé, Kevin, her dress, the wedding timeline, all the things that go into finding out about a bride’s much anticipated day. And with that, I booked my ticket to head west: trading in my down jacket for cargo shorts and mittens for flip-flops – next stop LA.
Arriving early that Friday morning before the ceremony, as the sun rose up over the horizon, brilliant rays of orange lit the front of the Temple, set against the beautiful backdrop of the soft blue sky. The Temple grounds are gorgeous. There are Birds of Paradise, along with other varieties of wonderfully colored flowers and plants of green, red, orange and yellow, and reflecting a pond that extends the entire length of the front of the Temple. Sarah and Kevin arrived at the Temple together, along with family members who were to be present at the ceremony. When Sarah and Kevin were announced, the eruption of applause and cheering was beautiful. Sarah was breathtaking; her dress draped down to a cascading train, with detailed brocade woven into batiste, lace trimmed edges and a beautiful v-neck line. Her vibrant cobalt blue shoes and bouquet matched her new hubby’s necktie. The only thing that was more vibrant than Sarah’s shoes were the smiles, joy and love that emanated in that moment from the two of them.
We spent a couple hours on the Temple grounds photographing first the family group photos and then making beautiful images of this stunning newly wedded couple. Saturday, the Gerhardt family hosted a reception/open house and invited everyone to their home to welcome Sarah and Kevin. This truly was one of the most wonderful weddings I have photographed—the love between these two is true and pure. Take a few minutes to enjoy and feel the true love that these two have.
Congratulations and all the best to Sarah & Kevin! Follow your dreams, and live a long and happy life together, your journey has just begun…
