Lane Weddings – the blog. – Omaha Wedding Photographer

There’s nothing quite like a small town wedding celebration.  Kassidy and Jeremy planned themselves a dandy, first getting married in Wisner then traveling to West Point to rock out with their friends and family.  I love the soft, warm light from dusk we were able to use along a dirt road surrounded by corn and bean fields.

This shoot was beyond spectacular.  This thunderstorm started producing right when we were ending what was, up to that point, a pretty damned fine engagement session.  But just as we were closing up shop, this thunderhead started producing amazing amounts of lightning.  Here’s a nice little time-lapse to show you.  Each frame is about a two second exposure.  Camera was on a tripod as Jenna and Joel were instructed to do their best not to move.  An off-camera studio flash with a brolly box lit the couple. They did awesome despite getting eaten alive by mosquitoes.  The sequence loops once. Enjoy!

Riders on the Storm from Lane Hickenbottom on Vimeo.

I occasionally find myself in these situations where I wish time could stand still so I could shoot all the photos I want to before the light changes, before dinner beckons, before the reception starts, before the inevitable end of what is a culmination of perfection.

Such was the case last month in Cabo San Lucas. Kelly and Ryan had just finished tying the knot in the most beautiful of settings. The small, intimate gathering on a sandy beach next to the Sea of Cortez was exhilarating.  Kelly was breathtaking in her one-of-a-kind dress designed specifically for the occasion. Ryan was eager to give me all the time I needed to make this collection of photos (and so many more!).  But unfortunately all good things come to an end.  Such was the case as it grew dark and dinner was ready to be served.

Thank you so much Kelly and Ryan for bringing Lane Weddings to Mexico with you guys.  Thank you both for treating my wife and I like guests.  We are truly grateful to have been part of a gorgeous wedding!

*third photo taken by my beautiful wife, Sarah.

Let me start this blog off by stating that I really love my clients.  All of them.   I enjoy following them on Facebook after their wedding has passed so I can quietly celebrate their marriage as it prospers.  When I find out a wedding client just bought their first new home together, I share their excitement. When they announce that they are expecting a child, I find myself in glee! In the tragic event that those hopes end sadly, I–in a small way–share their sadness and extend my prayers.  When a couple books me to photograph their wedding, they join the Lane Weddings family, and I’ll forever be emotionally bonded to them. As a witness to their vows, I stand among the rest of their friends and family who have a vested interest in seeing the bonds of their marriage strengthen each day and each year as they grow older together.

So why have I decided to get all sentimental now?  It’s all the fault of this weekend’s wedding.

Even though I love all my clients, I absolutely adore Jill and Colby, who I met last summer at Ann and Chey’s ridiculously amazing wedding.  Each of them are such caring, genuine, thoughtful and loving people.  Colby greets his friends with solid hugs and always lets them know how important they are to him.  I’m honored to now be included in that group of fortunate people.  Jill…wow…let me just tell you that not only have I never worked for a bride sweeter, it’s unlikely that I ever will.  She is so absorbed in making the world a better place for those around her, and she succeeds with elegance and charm. As a couple, they are a poetic force of grace.

So it’s no surprise that they would conspire together one of the most heartfelt, tear-jerking weddings I’ve ever been too.  Each of them read letters to each other before reciting their vows. It wasn’t the words they wrote for each other–which were thoughtful, loving and profound–that left not a dry eye in the church.  Rather it was the perfect blend of confidence and vulnerability in their voices as they expressed their devotion to each other.  Then Jill, who has the voice of an angel, made a surprise change in the program as she sung a beautiful, powerful and sweet love song to her groom.  Hello misty eyes!

These are just a couple of the many examples of deep sentiment that went into Jill and Colby’s North Platte, Neb. wedding day, a day that was full of them.   Colby’s brother, Chey’s slide show toast, Jill’s father talking about Jill’s transformation into the beautiful swan that she is, and Jill’s  mother joining the string quartet at dinner were just a few of them.  But rather continuing on about it, I give you the photos:

Recently got to spend some time in Syracuse, Neb.–a town that I frequently buzz right on through when traveling to the in-laws. Jill and Wade lit the town red (er green) with their grand wedding party.  Jill was a ridiculously stunning bride.   Luther Memorial Church was reduced to standing room only.  My favorite part of the wedding: a great hay-rack ride through town after the ceremony.