arizona weddings Archives - Melodee Lynn Photography

March 7, 2018

Steve and Jodi | Las Sendas Golf Club Wedding

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It’s days like this one that make me love photographing weddings. Everything from the sweet detail shots to the last dance of the night, Steve and Jodi’s Las Sendas Golf Club wedding was sweet perfection.

I met Steve and Jodi in a Chandler Starbucks last fall where we talked about all of their wedding plans, how they met and what the most important thing to them on their wedding day was and I knew then that it was going to be perfect. I always love watching the bride and groom on wedding days, but there are times that I love watching their friends and family even more. You learn so much more about the couple themselves when you experience the amount of love and laughter that radiates from those they surround themselves with. There’s no doubting that Steve and Jodi are very loved by the people in their life.

During their engagement session, Jodi talked me about her grandparents, Bill and Jean, and how important it was to her that I photograph them at their wedding. Aside from walking down the aisle to Steve’s handsome and smiling face, photographing them was one of the most important things to Jodi on her wedding day.

During the reception, the DJ called up all married couples for the ever famous, “generation dance”. He started by eliminating the newly weds and from there, couples slowly trickled off of the dance floor until one couple remained, Bill and Jean. They slowly danced, people cheered. I cried. The DJ called them over to the microphone afterwards and asked for one piece of advice for the newly weds.

Everyone waited on the edge of their seat for the wisdom to pour out from this sweet couple who have been married for 70 years, hoping to take away something that will help and encourage their own marriages. Jean’s response?

“Keep having the sex,” she said. Laughter filled the room followed by high-fives and head nods.

Steve and Jodi,

It was such an honor to get a glimpse into your lives on such an important day. I hope that you live a life full of sweet blessings, surrounded by those you love. I hope that you will always be a joy to everyone you meet and that you show the world what it’s like to truly love one another. I wish you all the best!

Melodee

November 21, 2017November 21, 2017

Steve + Jodi’s Desert Botanical Garden Engagement Session | Phoenix, Arizona

The sun had gone down so we wrapped up their engagement session and started the trek back towards the entrance of the Desert Botanical Garden. As we were walking, we of course started talking about the wedding and what were going to be the most important parts of the day for them. She mentioned one thing that brought tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat.

We spend years playing at their feet, listening to their stories, learning everything we possibly can.

We learn to cook like (or not like) them.

We want to be like them.

They are such a big part of who we are.

Jodi’s grandparents will be married for seventy years when they make an appearance at their wedding in March.

Seventy.

Can you imagine the life lived? The life loved and lost? The seasons navigated? The memories made? The wisdom gained?

Legacies are beautiful because they aren’t just about one person. Legacies are passed down from generation to generation and everyone, both families together and as individuals, contribute to make them even more valuable. Even more priceless.

I think legacies are incredible gifts, yes. But I think they are more than that. They are something that we are entrusted with. We have the ability to add to them and take away.

To whomever is reading this right now,

I hope that you choose to add value to your legacy. I hope that as you enter in and out of your own seasons of life that you always remember you’re apart of a bigger picture. There is a generation that will soon follow in your footsteps, so make your steps count.

Steve and Jodi,

I love so much the few stories you’ve shared with me. Just walking through the Desert Botanical Garden for your engagement session was enough for me to know that you two are incredibly blessed. Who you are and what you do is bigger than you realize. I’m so excited for your wedding in March and even more excited to capture the beginning of something so beautiful. The best is yet to come.

xoxo,

Melodee

November 6, 2017November 6, 2017

Zane + Jake | Boyce Thompson Arboretum Engagement Session

Starbucks. Tuesday Night. 6:30.

I walked in, my favorite aroma faithfully greeting me. And there they were.

They jumped up and greeted me, offering me some coffee which I surprisingly declined. Maybe I was nervous.

This wasn’t just any interview.

This wasn’t my typical consultation with the bride and the groom.

No.

There, sitting at the table in Starbucks was the mother and father of…

the bride.

Gulp.

Now I know how Jake felt.

There was one thing that was very clear from the get go, Carolyn and Griff love their daughter and I love how much they love her. As a parent of two little ones, I love when I can sit down and talk with parents who have walked the road in front of me. I know when they talk to me and hear my stories, they remember their own like it was yesterday and when I hear theirs I am reminded how quickly time goes. As my oldest is approaching kindergarten next year, I’m holding on to every second as tight as I possibly can! But I’m always so encouraged when I talk to parents like Carolyn and Griff because the parent-child relationship doesn’t end when they grow up. It changes into a beautiful type of relationship that is absolutely priceless.

After we shared our fun stories, I walked them through what an entire wedding experience looks like with me and before we left, we were already scheduling the engagement session.

I walked away from that meeting knowing that I’d just met my new favorite people.

And the fun was only just getting started.

This past week, I had the pleasure of meeting both Zane and Jake for their engagement session at Boyce Thompson Arboretum. I love that place every time I go, but this time…this one took the cake. (Is that a saying or do I just want cake?)

These two will both be graduating soon with their masters from GCU. Their masters you guys. (Fun fact: Zane graduated from community college before high school. Man, if I could go back and do it all again…) Zane and Jake are two driven individuals.

Zane and Jake,

This is only the beginning. Your story may have started at the GCU hot tub but that is just the prologue to the greatest adventure you will ever experience. Walk it hand in hand. (Notice I said walk, not run) because these precious moments come and go so quickly. I always used to cringe when people told me it went by quickly…probably because I don’t like being told what to do 😉 I’d just smile, nod and say, “oh yeah, don’t I know it”, but now that I’ve had a little more experience under my belt…I’m learning they are right!

Always put each other first. Jake, love her. Zane, respect him. Jake, don’t forget those little anniversary gifts Kim told you about, Zane support him as he becomes the head of your household.

Honor the Lord, honor each other.

Zane, I can’t wait to see you walk down the aisle.

Blessings,
Melodee