Thanks Laura from Floridian Weddings for showing off their beautiful day!

They are the winners of our Free Wedding Give Away! They will receive free photography and a free wedding gown for their day.

I can’t even begin to thank ALL THREE amazing couples for being willing to share their stories.

It was such a blessing to read them… and to see how many of your friends and family love you by all of the comments they left on your photos. (I hope you walk away feeling blessed as well! Because you should! You have a lot of love out there for you)

The boys are so big now! And just full of energy.

Here are a few of my favorites from our time together.

We were so overwhelmed by the response we received from this contest. So many entries. There are just a ton of people hurting out there right now. It really was hard to narrow it down.

We enlisted the help of a few others… and now we have narrowed it down to three couples.

I can’t possibly decide. So, it is all up to you!

Here’s how it works. Read the stories below. Click on the link to get to the Captured Facebook Page. You will need to “like” the photo of your favorite couple (story). That counts as a vote. Tell your friends and family so they can vote for your favorite couple as well.

*Note, if you have not “liked” Captured’s page first on Facebook, you will need to do that before you can vote on any of the photos.

The voting ends this coming Sunday (November 6th) at 10:00pm.

Best of luck to each couple! They would all be great candidates and a blessing to photograph.

Enjoy reading…

Randy & Michelle

Our story is not exactly a fairy tale, but it is a genuine, long-lasting, forever-and-a-day, life-fulfilling love story.

We were introduced by friends in the Summer of 2002 and within weeks, we were in love. We had no idea what life had in store for us in those early days. But through 10 years of trials, there has been one constant: our love and dedication to each other. We are “Peas and Carrots” — we’re silly and colorful and we go together. I’m the free spirit with an artistic soul – I like painting greetings on our windows and hosting make-believe tea parties.  He’s the handyman and caretaker – he built a garden for his girls and works to support us – yet he’s happy to put on a dress-up wig at playtime.

Randy and I met on Laura Lane, a casual introduction by mutual friends.  Randy always said he loved me the moment I answered the door. Truth is, I felt it too.

In 2005, we found out we were going to be parents. We were in love, but this was not the course I had expected. Being a Christian girl, strong in my faith, I always valued marriage and thought that would come first.
We decided to get married before our daughter was born.

God had other plans.

Our wedding day was planned for January, but on the morning of October 13, 2005, our lives were changed forever. I was home.  Randy was working on the west coast of Florida. At about 5 a.m., I woke up having what seemed to be premature labor. I drove myself to the hospital. On the way, I called Randy.  By the time we hung up, he was in the truck, headed home. I got to the hospital and my fear was confirmed: I was in labor four months early.  The life changing events which came next, I know, were God’s guiding hand.
I was only 21 weeks into my pregnancy. Most babies that early do not survive.  Randy made a three and a half hour trip in about an hour that morning. I can’t tell you how much it meant to see him step off the elevator  just before my transfer.   No matter the terrifying situation, we are comforted and complete together.  While in the hospital, I was given more than one choice to terminate my pregnancy.   To us, they were not choices.  I knew God was in control.

I was on strict hospital bed-rest. Randy worked in the day and slept in the chair next to me at night. He shaved my legs and changed my bed pans as I wasn’t even aloud to sit up. These are things couples don’t expect to have to do till they’re old. We had no idea how much was ahead.
On the morning of October 24th Hurricane Wilma rolled into town and Laura (named for the street where we met) Jean (named for his mom) was born at one pounds, 5 ounces and she was barely breathing, but thanks to machines, she was breathing.   It was 110 days before Laura Jean got to come home from the NICU.  The doctors were grim and suggested our Laura would have no quality of life.

That wasn’t all. Randy’s mom died from a sudden heart attack while little Laura Jean was still hospitalized. I can tell you we didn’t think about wedding details anymore. We were in survival mode. All I could do was pray.  It was a tough time for us, but we clung together more and grew stronger as a couple.

Once home, we adjusted our lifestyle from a very active couple to parents of a special needs child.   I had already resigned from my job to stay home as there were many years of doctors appointments and therapy ahead. I am so thankful for the time we spent getting to know each other in love because the years ahead were challenging.  We got wrapped up in years of living and failed to take a moment out and formally tie the knot.

We just celebrated Laura’s 6th birthday and she is a loving, thoughtful, curious, silly, compassionate March of Dimes ambassador.  She may not be able to walk as easily as others or see as clearly, but cares for her kitten, plays princess with her friends and wants nothing more than to dance at her mommy and daddy’s wedding. She has even been making little scribbled abstract pictures for the wedding.

Our little girl has defied her doctors and is living a very normal life.  She is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy but we move forward as if there is no diagnosis.  Randy and I have grown and we have learned our strength together.  So many couples break. We are both from divorced families, we know first-hand. We know what it takes to say for better or for worse.

Since we met on a Saturday, our 10 year anniversary will fall on Saturday June 16, 2012. We’ve planned a modest destination wedding in the Ocala National Forest to exchange our vows. We can’t wait!

To vote for Randy and Michelle, click on this link and like their photo.

Brett & Ashley

Brett and I met at very young age. I was a freshman in high school who had just turned 15 and he was the cute senior who seemed untouchable. We went to a very small Christian school and the idea of a senior dating a freshman was really not spoken of. I’ll never forget the first time I met him, I couldn’t believe this older boy had even noticed me!

No one thought it would last, they figured he was just an older boy who would eventually break my heart. Rumors spread and it seemed like no one believed in us. But we knew there was something special. Our love story had just begun.

After being together for 7 years its safe to say we’ve beaten most odds. It hasn’t always been easy. No one thought we would make it. We’ve been through it all together…highschool, college, loss of loved ones, big moments. He really is my best friend and I thank God for putting him in my life every day. I believe that God has a special plan for us. I can’t wait to see His plan play out.

I spent three months away this summer doing an internship in Atlanta. Little did I know that while I was away, he was planning a perfect engagement. With an incredible sign made out of driftwood and tiny sand dollars spelling out “Marry Me Ash”, he popped the question on the beach when I least expected it. All I could do was cry. I could tell how much time and heart he put into it and that meant more than words can say.

We are planning our wedding now… and I will be honest. It is not easy. We are young and really don’t have a lot to spend on our day. We want to have a memorable, beautiful day that really captures the love we share and how much we love those around us. But, we need to be wise when it comes to finances.

I know that God puts certain people in each others lives at a specific time for a reason. Brett really is that person to me. I’m not really sure what I’d do without him. His loyalty and unconditional love is more than I could ask for. He is my forever and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him.

To vote for Brett and Ashley, click on this link and like their photo.

Eric & Cristina

I grew up in Colombia (South America) but my family and I moved to The States when I was 11. In Colombia I went to a Catholic school and regularly attended mass. Once I entered my teenage years, I was held responsible for my own spiritual walk and started to disconnect. The church felt cold and all I could sense was the absence of faith, so I stopped attending mass all together.

Once I turned 18 I was happy doing life on my own terms. I adopted a new motto to live by, “Do whatever makes you happy; as long as you’re not hurting yourself or anyone else”. For years, I lived looking for happiness in all the wrong places.

After a couple failed attempts at serious relationships and several “casual” ones, Eric entered my life in November 2004. I will never forget it. Very early into getting to know one another, I somehow realized that Eric was the guy I never knew I had always wanted.

I would like to say it was love at first sight, that he treated me like a princess, and that we’ve lived a fairytale life ever since… but that would be a lie! The truth is, we had a rocky beginning. After almost 2 years of dating, we broke up. It seemed impossible to get on with my life while living in the same city, so I moved. Not just out of the city, but out of the country, back to Columbia.

After being there for 3 months, I received a call from Eric. He found himself at a crossroad and realized he did not want to live the rest of his life without me. I wasn’t going back to The States unless this time we were going to be serious, so we decided to move in together. You see, neither Eric nor I believed in marriage. We didn’t see the need of signing a paper only to please society. Our word of commitment to each other was enough.

After living together for 4 years, I found myself in a very dark place. All I could feel was a huge void inside me. I knew there was something missing and I remember having this moment of clarity and knowing, “I need to find God!” I decided to share this realization with Eric. Religion was never a part of Eric’s life, so he wanted to know how I intended to do such a thing. My best answer at the time was to start attending church again. I asked him if he’d be willing to join me and his response was, “As long as you don’t force anything upon me, I’ll give it a try”.

We finally checked out church the Sunday after Easter, 2010 – Discover Church. At the end of the service, after meeting everyone and hugging goodbye, Eric and I headed to our car. Once inside, we looked at each other and smiled, we knew we had found our church!!! We have attended there ever since.

A couple of weeks after our initial visit, Eric and I each started a 1 on 1 Bible study. The Lord placed several new ideas in my heart and I was led to talk to someone who I didn’t really know, but felt I could trust. Next thing I knew, I was faced with the internal questions I had been avoiding. For the first time I encountered truth and it caused me to reach out to The Lord. I surrendered my heart & life to my Savior Jesus Christ. That day, I chose a new life.

After receiving salvation it was time to walk the walk. Eric & I became convicted about living together as an unmarried Christian couple. It was one of the toughest choices I had ever made, but Eric and I agreed to no longer live together instead of just get married. At the time it seemed like we were backtracking. Imagine being forced to separate from someone whom you knew you were supposed to spend your life with. I didn’t want to take that step; however I knew it was what we were being called to do.

I was raised to care for myself and not depend on anyone. Because of the financial state that Eric and I were in, I was going to have to ask for assistance to move out of our house. The idea of having to ask someone else to allow me to stay with them because I couldn’t afford to on my own, made me sick to my stomach. When I was called to humble myself and ask for help, a wonderful couple stepped up and agreed to take me in, without ever asking anything from me. I moved into my new home in October 2010 and have been there ever since.

This journey of this past year has been necessary for the Lord to re-shape me into who He has created me to be and who He needed me to be for Eric. I know now that God loves us deeply and intently. He will meet us regardless of where we are and He will love us in specific and intimate ways. His love for me is so great that not only did He save and redeem me, but He made sure to do the same for the man I love. Eric too was saved last year and has grown to be the future husband, and spiritual leader a girl can only dream of. Because of what Christ did for us, we now understand marriage for what God had intended it to be.

Eric proposed 12 days ago, and I want nothing more than to be his bride. Regardless of the amount of resistance we are currently facing, we stand firm knowing that we decided to honor God with our relationship. We are certain, that it’s only because of Him that we actually stand a chance as a couple in this hectic world.This story is only the beginning for us. We know, with God’s help, that we will be adding many chapters to it for a long time.

To vote for Eric and Christina, click on the link and like their photo.

But, I am not going to lie…. I totally look forward to the PARTY!

The dancing, the celebration, all so fun to capture.

So, the dorky side of me put together a little blog post on some of the most memorable songs played at our wedding receptions (and the moments that went with).

First up, a classic favorite, “Ice Ice Baby”- Erin and Adam’s wedding of course… how awesome was it they were rapping all of the words to each other?

“Crank that soulja boy”- Charlie and Michael’s wedding. The mascot from UM came running in to surprise the guests to this song… He kept throwing up the “U” sign (for Miami).

“We are a Family”- Sarah and John’s wedding. Their family was really pumped about being a family.

“Everytime we touch”- Cascada reminds me of DC and Vanessa’s wedding.

“Tonight”- Kris and Sarah’s wedding

“Tonight’s gonna be a good night”- April and Justin’s Wedding

“Raise your glass”- Josh and Sasha’s wedding

“Fire Burning” - Zeke and Stacey’s wedding.

“Turbo Twang”- Tony and Laura’s Wedding

“Stanky Leg”- Mike and Stacey’s Wedding

“Sweet Caroline” - Adam and Ashley’s Wedding

And last, my favorite, Journey’s “Don’t stop believing” - Bryce and Pierce’s Wedding. One of their groomsmen got up to sing this one. It was awesome.

It turned out to be a gorgeous day and I loved the simplicity of the wedding too. It was focused on them and their special guests.

Thanks so much for having us there to capture such a special time in your lives. It was so great getting to know you two!

Flowers were put together by Xquisite Events.

The sky was incredible.

The band Rhythm kept things moving.

This last shot makes me smile. Every couple should be having this much fun at their wedding

Congrats you two! Have an awesome honeymoon!

It is always a joy to photograph this family.

Here are a few of my favorites!