Couple Number 1:  Maureen and Adam

Couple Number 3:  Rachel and James

Congratulations, guys!  We’ll be in touch with you in the coming week about who between James and Genevieve, Tom or Andrew will be shooting your wedding based on availability.  We’ve had great experiences with our contest winners in the past and we are really looking forward to working with you guys.

We would like to extend a huge, heartfelt Thank You to Tom Forrest and Andrew Jordan for offering their skill and talents which allowed us to be able to name two winners instead of just one.  These guys are the real deal.  Also, thank you to everyone who entered; we wish we could shoot all of your weddings!

It has been a tough decision to choose the finalists for this wedding photography giveaway based on essays. One factor that eliminated most contestants was the simple fact that dates were already booked. The other part was the financial need as well as the touching aspect of the relationship. In the end, we’ve ended up with 4 finalists. I will be sharing their stories bellow.

You can vote for the most deserving couple by emailing us at contest@genevievenisly.com . One vote per person please. Just tell us in the email who you think should win. Voting will start today and end on February 13th. The two couples who win (unfortunately not all four) will be announced Valentine’s Day or shortly after.

Couple #1: Maureen & Adam

Hudson Ohio (ceremony) and Akron Ohio (reception)
When I first met my fiance we were both working at a local restaurant.  I had a boyfriend at the time but couldn’t resist harmlessly flirting with Adam.   When things ended with my boyfriend at the time Adam didn’t waste any time in asking me out.  A couple of milkshakes and a walk around the park later and we’ve been together ever since.  I had just finished my first year at college and Adam was about to leave for college out of state.  We knew that we had no choice but to stay together so for 4 years we did the long distance thing seeing each other every few weekends and whenever possible.  It was really hard doing long distance for so long but we also knew how important it was to finish our degrees and that we remain together.
After putting himself through college and finally graduating, Adam moved home to be closer to me and his family.  After months of searching Adam finally found a job in his field.  6 months later I finally finished my degree, obtained my nursing license and began working.  After 5 years at a private college I finished school with more debt than I ever imagined.  I wasn’t fortunate enough to be blessed with financial assistance from my parents so I had to put myself through school.  I come from a large family and each of us has had to take on our own financial responsibilities from about the age of 16.
After Adam and I started working he was able to save up enough money for a ring and the man of my dreams, my best friend, asked me to marry him.  I of course said yes and couldn’t wait to marry him.  Both still living at home with our parents we have been trying desperately to save up for a down payment on a house and plan a wedding.  We are doing everything we can to save money (from having a Friday night wedding to prioritizing everything we can).  The biggest struggle for us has been balancing cost and our ever growing guest list.  Coming from such a big family it has been hard to really restrict the important people in our lives that we want to share our special day with.  Let me explain.  I have 5 sisters as well as 6 step sisters and 1 step brother.  Three of my sisters are happily married with children and I am so excited to be the next.  Genevieve was actually the photographer for my sister Mandi’s wedding and has since taken amazing pictures of my niece Avery.
So with 3 weddings down and 9 to go (some, such as my own, sooner than others) you can imagine the incredible cost of 12 weddings!!  My parents are doing their best to help us financially but again….12 weddings!!  We really want to be able to share our wedding with all of the people who have supported us through the last 5 years.  God has really helped us in so many ways as Adam and I grew and matured in our relationship and we have been incredibly blessed along the way.  We have had our trials and tribulations (from losing grandparents, heart attacks, and cancer treatments to unemployment and student loans) but we have been blessed to have each other to support each other throughout everything.  I am sure everyone can relate to us and the financial hardship the world is experiencing and I think it’s amazing that these talented photographers are doing their part to help a deserving couple.
I hope that you all can appreciate our situation and if you feel that we are deserving of this package that you will vote for us.  Even if this essay doesn’t make it any further than the inbox and I want to say thanks for giving back!  All 3 of you are amazingly talented photographers and the most deserving couple will be very lucky to have you capture their special day.  Thank you and God bless!

Couple #2: Sarah and Jeremiah

Location: Akron OH

Our names are Shannon and Serena Barr. We are writing this essay for our older sister Sarah Barr who is engaged to our soon to be brother-in-law Jeremiah, or as we like to call him, Jerry. You could not pick a better and more deserving couple to win this contest. We know that you have probably heard that from everyone, but just give us a chance to tell you why we sincerely believe that they deserve this.

They met on March 6, 2004 and have been together ever since. That is why they want to be married on March 6,  because that day is very special to them. They have been through many ups and downs while being a couple. They have grown spiritually as a couple and Sarah encouraged Jerry to grow closer with God. He was baptized a year after they started dating. After they both graduated from The University of Akron, Sarah and Jerry packed up and moved to North Carolina because that is where Sarah received her first teaching job offer. Sarah and Jerry are both very family oriented, so packing up and leaving their families behind was not an easy task for them. It was also hard for us to see our sister move eight hours away, but we knew that it was for the best. Sarah’s first year was anything but easy.

She is a first grade teacher at an inner city school in one of the worst areas of Charlotte. She has met more challenges then she would have ever expected to have met, but her faith in God and Jerry’s faith in her, keep her going. She sees children come to school hungry, in tattered clothing, just needing someone to care for and love them. She’s had desks thrown at her, had to break up fights, and in her first year she saw a child’s world turned upside down after his mother was murdered. She really has seen it all. She is one of the strongest people you will ever meet and we have no idea how she keeps on going back to that school everyday.

Jerry is just as strong as Sarah and just as dedicated to their relationship. He moved down to North Carolina without a job and searched every single day since they moved to find one. He found a job that would help them out until he would be able to find a better job that actually put his engineering degree to use. It took him two years to find a job, but he finally did. However, there was one problem with the job that he found, it is in Ohio.

In November 2008, Jerry moved back to Ohio by himself. Sarah had the option to go with him, but that would mean leaving her students before the school year was over. She couldn’t let them down and decided to stay because she truly loves them and knows they need someone consistent in their lives. This really proves how incredibly strong their relationship is because being eight hours away from each other is anything but a simple task, but every single day they make it work and every single day their relationship just grows stronger.

We really do see Sarah and Jerry as the perfect couple and they deserve to have beautiful and amazing pictures of their wedding to look back on one day. You will not regret choosing them for this contest because they really do deserve to have something great happen for them, especially on one of the most important days of their life together.

Couple #3: Rachel and James

If you remember the cookout you had at your home a few years ago with several local photographers, then you may remember me.  I attended the get together and at the time, I was just starting out as a part-time photographer.  Since then, so many things have changed, and I am now planning my day on the other end of the lens.  I was so excited to read about your contest, here is our story…

I met my fiance, James (Jamy), three years ago when I went to work for a landscape company.  Jamy had been with the company for a while and was the last of MANY men I was introduced to on my first day, November 7, 2005.  Stuck in a work trailer together day after day, Jamy and I quickly learned we had a lot in common.  From the simple things like our taste in music and art, to the more substantial issues of politics and the importance of family.  A month after meeting, Jamy asked me out on our first date and we’ve avoided being a part from each other ever since!

After a couple months of dating, I was sure I knew all there was to know about the new man in my life, but there was one last piece of himself Jamy hadn’t shared.  Three years earlier, Jamy had had a kidney transplant.  I was shocked – I didn’t know anyone who had had a transplant and didn’t expect someone who had to seem so healthy and “normal.”

After almost a year of multiple trips a week to a dialysis center, James finally got his life back – on December 23, 2003, when his mother gave him one of her kidneys.

In early 2007, we booked a trip to the Bahamas; Jamy, my daughter and myself were all set for a sunny vacation!  Then, while with me on a business trip in Philadelphia, the transplant began to fail.  He spent the week in a Philadelphia hospital, returned to Cleveland and was admitted to the Clinic.  Unfortunately, the transplant could not be saved and James had to return to dialysis treatments and our sunny vaca was cancelled.

Last year in April on my 27th birthday (with my daughter’s blessing) Jamy proposed and I, of course, said yes!  Because of his condition, Jamy has been unable to work for almost two years and I have given up my photography for a regular 9-5, for now.  But we’re lucky, one of Jamy’s four sisters is a match and he will undergo another transplant this summer.

Needless to say, the funds for our day are limited, but we still want to have beautiful memories!  I can’t think of a person more deserving of a perfect day than my fiance.  Although many grooms aren’t overly concerned with the wedding day details, I know Jamy would be beside himself if we were to win this amazing gift!  (Even if it’s just to see me happy!). He is the perfect friend and lover to me, and the greatest stepdad my daughter could have.

We are planning our wedding for May 23; however, because of our unique location (a warehouse loft we are renting) we do have the ability to move our date – which we would be more than willing to do, should we win!  And if we do not, we are still blessed to begin our happily ever after, side by side!

Couple #4: Rachael & Jonny

My fiance Jon and I, Rachael, met on a blind date two and a half years ago. At the time I was working at a mom and pop bakery (Osman’s Pies), and Jonny was working for the same family in their masonry company. Jonny’s boss,Doug, had it in his head that we should meet, but we were both very reluctant. Jonny had already been set up on a disastrous blind date courtesy of his boss before, and from the way Doug talked about Jonny I though that he would be a prude.

The date did happen, and it was incredibly… awkward… I’m shy and Jonny ran out of things to talk about.  I wasn’t sure he would call me again after that date, but two days later we went out again.  I invited him to my little sisters dance recital ( which, I understand is completely random), and was shocked when he actually came.

We were engaged last June and are getting married May 30th in a little church in Highland Square and our reception is in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  We’ve been very blessed with generous friends that have been willing to help us with various aspects of the wedding.  I am a student at Kent and Jonny was recently laid off.  Because of this, he plans to go back to school in the fall.  With the loss of his income, we’ve had to find more creative ways to make our wedding beautiful.  In an effort to keep cost down, we were planning on having a friend take our photos. It would be more then we could hope for to have a professional photographer capture our day!

This year we are doing a repeat of what we’ve done the past several years. We’ve been blessed in so many areas and want to pass on that blessing to two couples who might not be able to afford our services. This year, we also have the participation of two friends and amazing photographers: Tom Forrest and Andrew Jordan. They will be sharing their talents on this project so each couple will get two photographers.

Each of the two winning couples will receive:

- two photographers

- 8 hours of coverage

- the high resolution files on DVD

- online gallery hosted for 3 months

- images in a proofbook or proofbox

Here are the stipulations for this contest:

- Submissions will be excepted between January 1st – January 31st 2009. You may submit essays for couples you know or are related to; you do not have to be the bride and groom to enter an essay.

-The wedding must take place within 60 miles of the studio in Canton, Ohio in 2009.

-Genevieve Nisly Photography will choose four finalists based on both the essay and our availability to actually shoot the wedding

-We will then post the four finalist essays on this blog and we will let our blog readers vote on who is the most deserving.

-Voting will close on February 14th at midnight and the winners will be announce the following Monday.

Here’s what you need to submit:

- name of the couple with wedding date and location

- a photo of the couple

- a creative essay on why you think you deserve to win this free wedding photography

- email all the above to contest@genevievenisly.com

Time to get those creative essays coming and good luck to all who submit!

Thank you also to all those who voted. The response was amazing.

Scott and Christina got the biggest response with over 400 votes. I (Genevieve) will be photographing their wedding on June 8th in Canton. Email me and we talk about the details.

Aaron and Madeline’s wedding will be covered by Andrew Jordan on June 22nd. I will second shoot this wedding but he will be the go-to guy. Be sure to get in touch with him.

Sean and Tabitha’s wedding will be covered by James on July 20th. Drop us a line and we’ll fill you in.

Lastly, Rob and Jessica’s wedding on October 10th will be photographed by Tom Forrest with James second shooting. Touch base with him to get the scoop.

I wish you all a lovely Valentine’s Day!

So here is what we offering to one lucky couple:
- 8 hours of coverage by James or I (haven’t decided yet)
- online gallery
- DVD of retouched high-resolution images
- proofbook with all the retouched images

This free wedding photography is meant to be a blessing to someone in need. If you are planning an extravagant affair and can easily afford us but want to save some money, this contest is not meant for you. Sorry We love hearing from couples who are giving of their time and energy to help others or some that might have overcome hardships.

Anyone can submit an entry but the wedding must take place in Northeast Ohio in 2008. To enter, email us your submission at contest@genevievenisly.com The submission should have:
- couple’s name
- photo of the couple
- wedding date and location
- tell us a little about the couple and why they deserve to win free wedding photography

Last year we heard from Moms, sisters, grooms and brides so don’t be shy. You have until January 31st to enter.

On February 1st, I will post the 3 finalist (chosen by James and I) at which point you may all vote for who you think should win. Voting will end on February 13th and winners announced on Valentine’s day. What a sweet way to celebrate, right?

Edited to add:
The wedding can be a simple affair: family’s back yard on a Sunday afternoon or weekday civil ceremony at city hall. In fact you are more likely to be a finalist if you are getting married on a non-Saturday.

Also keep in mind that the email your send is viewed is your submission and will be posted here along with your photo for all to see and vote for.

about Jenn and Bill:

- We are so excited that he has found the love of his life and we just adore Jennifer. Having two sons, we believe she will be more like a daughter then an in-law. They really seem to balance each other.
- We knew the minute we met Jennifer that she was one special lady. She doesn’t tell you that she has three much younger siblings, ages 6 – 16, that she helped raise and that they adore their “sissy”. We were all in Las Vegas on a family vacation when Bill and Jen were engaged, and we were so thrilled that Bill decided to share this special moment in their lives with 9 other people. Family is such an integral part of both of their lives. This past Thanksgiving Jen’s family bravely traveled to Pittsburgh to spend the holiday with Bill’s family, all 16 of us, and what a wonderful time was had by all – sharing stories, playing games, and such genuine laughter and love- all because of Jen and Bill.

about Jodi and Larry:

- I have been friends with Jodi since high school, and can honestly say I have never seen her as genuinely happy as she is right now. Years ago, I remember her and I discussing quite often how the years had been very kind to Larry, and what a handsome man he had become. I can recall even back then seeing the smile that would form on his face when she would come by his table, or the almost disappointed look he would get when he found out she wasn’t working that day. Several years would pass until Larry would open his tanning salon, which Jodi and I went to work at an evening a week. It was then when I would say to her, ” I’m telling you Jodi, you’re going to end up marrying Larry, the guy loves you”. Her response was always “no he doesn’t, he’s known me forever, he doesn’t think of me that way”. I love being right!! I especially love it this time, I have never seen two people who bring out each others strengths, and complete each other where they may fall short so well.

about Faith and Jamie:

- I have known them for about six months, since Faith and I began teaching at the same school; yet despite that, I can already say that every time I see Faith and Jamie they inspire me. They inspire me to believe in a love that is not Hollywood, of a love that can endure not because it is cynical of love as some antiquated notion, but because it seeks-in an amazing way-to represent something true and enduring, something that reflects the best of tradition and history, something that gives them the confidence to go forth in their life with each other knowing that they will be more together than they could ever be apart.

- Working with Faith has been an honor. She has ‘it,’ the powers of the mind and heart to change lives. For her students, she is more than a teacher, she is a bright, intelligent woman with a priceless sense of humor and a heart of gold. Despite the money, she puts that sense of humor and heart into her work with students on academics as well as extracurricular activities. If American education especially in the inner city is ever going to change, it is going to be because of gifts like Faith.

So now you are probably wanting to know who the winners are, right? With over 400 votes, the couple who’s wedding my husband James and I will have the pleasure to photograph are: Faith and Jamie! Congratulations you two!

For the other two couples I am also offering something: if they still would like to have us photograph the wedding, they can book collection 3 and I will upgrade them to collection 2 at no charge. This means I am including a second photographer (hubby James) along with more time and photos.

Thank you to all who submitted entries, those who voted sometimes without any connection to the couples. It’s been great getting to know each couples a little more through friends and family comments.

What impressed me about the couples I chose is how the couples are giving of themselves by their choice of career, putting the other person first and in their values. It’s nice to see that these couples value FAMILY, from the one they are marrying into to the one they are about to start through the act of marriage itself. These couples also show how their love stood the test of time despite distance or developed because of maturity. Finally the locations for their weddings are personal and unique making a beautiful backdrop to a significant union.

The 3 final applicants are posted below. Read their story and vote for your favorite couple by emailing me at genevieve@genevievenisly.com Submit your vote by 11:59 pm on Sunday January 21st. One vote per person please.

Couple #1: Jennifer and William (Bill)

We are getting married on September 14th, 2007 at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens in Akron.

My fiance and I want an amazing day, like every couple planning a wedding, however we don’t want to be in debt and to have a bundle of bills to pay once our special day is over.

We met at the South Bend Regional Airport in Indiana. I was working for an airline while I was in college and he began his first airport management job out of college. I quickly learned when his work hours were, so I would know what days not to show up to work a total mess! Before we even exchanged pleasantries, I undoubtedly knew he was the total package…he was the type of man you took home to meet your family, and I was RIGHT! We were introduced by a mutual friend who also worked at the airport. As soon as I took a good look at his beautiful blue eyes and his charming smile, I was head-over-heels. We began going out on dates and spending time together. I knew almost immediately that he was who I wanted to share my life with.

Bill and I had traveled to Vegas the prior year and not only fell in love with the lights and the city, we also fell in love with each other! Bill’s family planned a trip to Vegas after his brother graduated for Penn State to celebrate in May of 2006. I had a feeling it was coming because we had realized that we were in love on top of the Stratosphere out on the observation deck overlooking the city and felt that it would be amazing if Bill would propose where we fell in love. We all went to dinner, following, Bill and I left the group to go up top to the observation deck at the Stratosphere to share a romantic moment, I had a strong feeling because Bill had very few things to say that night and he is hardly a man of few words! It was a nervous ride up the elevator and I had large butterflies in my stomach by the time we reached the top. Here we were overlooking Vegas where we fell in love a year earlier, when Bill began to nervously ramble on, he began to talk about our lives together and before I knew it he was down on one knee asking me to marry him! I of course said yes! When we came down to meet up with his family, his mother was crying and his grandfather was teary eyed as well. I spent the rest of the evening floating on a cloud, constantly staring at my beautiful husband-to-be and my amazing ring. It was perfect!

I feel that Bill and I would be a deserving couple because we not only want our day to be about us, but to be about our families. Bill and I cherish our families more than anything and one day look forward to having our own. We want our guests to walk away from our wedding knowing the true connection that Bill and I have, as well as to have a genuine idea of who we are and who we are going to be as husband and wife. To have beautiful pictures to share with our family and friends, as well as our future children that would ideally capture the setting of our day, as well as the emotions, tenderness, and elegance would be priceless and something that we would cherish always.

Couple #2: Jodi and Larry

June 23, 2007 – The Oak Grove at The College of Wooster – The Wooster Inn

How we met: Larry and I met years ago. In Junior High, I think. We grew up in the same town, but never really knew each other until I moved back about 8 years ago.

While in Junior High and High School, Larry and I didn’t “run with the same crowd”. I knew who he was and he knew me, but that was about it. After High School, he and I took on two totally different directions. I was headed to college and he was newly married with a baby on the way. As time passed, and people and circumstances changed, our paths crossed again. This time we were about 28.Larry had 3 kids and was in the process of a divorce and I was “lost” in life and decided to move “home” in search of some answers. I began working at my uncle’s restaurant and I would see Larry almost every weekday at lunch as he and his co-workers usually ate where I worked. We developed a friendship since we saw each other frequently. I eventually started to work for Larry part-time. He owns a tanning salon and I agreed to work a night each week for extra money and free tanning.

We were friends for a long time. It seemed like the “right time” for he and I to be together took way too long to get here. Finally, last June, he asked me out to dinner. I agreed and we’ve been together ever since. It’s funny how love is within your reach for years, but it takes so long for you to reach out and grab it. He says he wanted to ask me out for years, but didn’t have the courage. I’m glad he finally did, though because he is the most wonderful thing to ever happen to me.

How we got engaged: Larry and I had only been dating for four months when he asked me to marry him. We both feel like it was more like four years seeing that we had a friendship first. My birthday was October 5th and Larry and I met my brother and his wife for dinner that night. We had a great dinner and out of no where on the way home, he asks : “What would you say if I asked you to marry me?” Without hesitation, I said : “I would say yes with no second thoughts.” His reply was “I want to ask you right now, but I don’t have enough money for the ring I want to get for you.” I told him that the size of my diamond didn’t matter to me. I think my exact words were :”You could give me a ring out of a crackerjack box and I’d be happy.” So, we agreed to go ring shopping soon. The next evening on October 6th, I was sitting on the couch and jokingly said “Do you want to go ring shopping now?” A huge grin appeared on his face and he presented me with the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen.

Why I think we should win:

Larry and I want Genevieve to shoot our wedding regardless. She shot my brother’s wedding and the pictures are gorgeous. We don’t have a big budget, but we both came to the conclusion that spending a little more money on the photos is worth it because we’ll be looking at them for years and we want our special day to be done well.

Larry’s oldest daughter is graduating from High School a month before our wedding. I want her to have a nice graduation party, so receiving a free wedding shoot could save us more money for her party & college tuition etc…

Larry was married before, but he didn’t have a “wedding.” I want this day to be so special for him just as much as I want it to be special for me. I want it to be special for his 3 kids, as they will be a major part of my life when we’re married. Plus, they’re just great kids and I’ve developed a wonderful relationship with them that I hope will continue to grow.

Heck, we should win so my parents can be happy for their 36 year old daughter who is FINALLY getting married. (It will save them the money.) I don’t think they thought this day would ever come.

Yeah, we should win for all the cheesy reasons, too. We are so in love and I feel that no one could ever experience the amount of joy that I have in anticipation of becoming Mrs. Lawrence Davis

Couple #3: Faith and James (Jamie)

07.21.07 - Linwood Park in Vermilion – Cleveland Yacht Club in Rocky River

Herstory . . .

It was the summer of 2002 and my first day on the job; I was home from college at Miami University of Ohio, looking to make some cash. I was greeted by my new boss, Barb, when a clamorous pair bounded through the doorway, laughing, and I was then introduced to a tall, grinning guy – “This is Jamie and he’s a big joker,” said Barb. We flashed smiles at one another, our eyes lingered for a moment, and then moved on. In the weeks to come, I found myself looking forward to going to work – looking forward to seeing Jamie. I liked his jokes, his ease of communication with others, the way he cried a few teardrops every time he laughed really hard. He was different than anyone I’d ever met – he was an artist, a painter, and he listened to music that was too cool to be on the radio. He wasn’t sure where he was going with life, but he was having fun and this fun was infectious. I liked him.

Before I knew it, Jamie and I began taking drives and walks in the park. We held hands the first time on the 4^th of July, kissed the first time shortly thereafter, and decided to give dating each other exclusively a try just in time for me to return back to school – as in, moving four hours away to Oxford, Ohio. The distance was hard, especially in the beginning, especially since we really hadn’t known one another that long. Neither of us were sure why we didn’t just break it off and make it easier on ourselves, but there was something that felt different – unique – he was something worth holding on to.

The years flew by. Before I knew it, I was graduating from Miami with a degree in Adolescent Language Arts Education, and was Cleveland-bound. Over the past two years we had learned to love each other more than we knew was possible. We had both changed so much! I had learned to become a teacher, made the best friends of my life, and had learned to love someone else unselfishly. Jamie had left serving at Westwood Country Club, gone back to school for a Master’s degree in Clinical Counseling, and was now working for Parmadale Child and Family Services.

The next year went by quickly, and on May 31^st, 2006, I found myself being led back into Westwood Country Club with Jamie. It was dark, the members were gone, and we were taking a book to his cousin, Wes, who worked there as a manager. “I feel really uncomfortable with this, Jame. I mean, what if a member sees us here – I think we could get in trouble,” I whispered as we climbed the front steps to the door. “It’s fine, it’s fine,” Jamie reassured me. “Wes said he’d be right in here,” he quivered as he pulled me into one of the party rooms. As the door closed behind me, I stopped, and looked with wonder around the room. Candles and flower petals had been scattered throughout the entry way, and soft music hummed out of the speakers. The glow of the candles matched the glow of Jamie’s face as he took my hand and led me farther into the room. His voice wavered and his hands trembled – just a little bit – as he began talking and kneeling onto one knee. While I have no recollection of anything he said leading up to this, I know he concluded with, “Will you marry me?” as he opened a tiny, white box. The ring and the room and the secret of this whole situation were dazzling. Without any doubts, I said, “Yes.”

History . . .

I wanted my asking of Faith to be a complete and total surprise. Knowing full well that: A…I am miserable about keeping secrets and surprises and, B…Faith is famously independent (she reminds me of a house cat)….somehow this still seemed like brilliant idea. I went into clumsy secret agent mode, trying to measure her finger while we were watching movies and making clandestine phonecalls from the bathrooms of restaurants. The diamond was smuggled (o.k., just regularly driven) in from California and the ring was built by a close friend of ours’ father. When I was able to finally pick it up, he repeatedly asked me if I thought I would be alright to drive. My shaking hands and knocking knees put me somewhere between a jazz dancer and a person who’s about to pass out.

Hiding the ring for me was like hiding a roaring fire engine in my kitchen. I changed its location just about every five minutes. When Faith came over, I sweated like I was on trial. I had made plans to sneak back into the very place where I had first seen her and ask the question there. My best friend had put together a week long window of possible times the place might be empty and we could sneak in.

The call came and my accomplices were setting up a field of candles and pirating the overhead speakers, which usually droned elevator music, to play some of Faith and I’s favorite sappy couple songs. All I had to do was get her there. I mentioned that Faith is impossibly independent. She’s that and she is also very good. (I’d imagine she always got smiley faced stickers on her report card). Somehow I hadn’t figured that the combination of those two things might make it hard for her to want to go with me to: the country club we hadn’t worked at for years, almost after hours, and for no apparent reason. In the end I almost had to throw her over my shoulder or drag her in. I tried to cleverly lead her in that direction…

“Hey…uhm…look honey, a big closed door…uhm…we should..uhmm…go inside there and check it out.”

Well, she did make it in. The room was gorgeous and the music started exactly on time. We danced together…alone in that banquet room. We danced in the first spot I had seen that vibrant, engaging, and impossibly alive nineteen year old girl burst into my silly, green-vested workplace. We danced where I had watched her win over cantankerous old members and odd Russian waiters with a personality that seemed to flood out of her and fill up the room. I was supposed to be cutting ties and moving to Boulder, but one night I turned around instead of walking out the door to go home. I had to ask to her out. It was like a biological imperative, I didn’t have any choice in the matter. It was the first of the two most important questions I have ever asked in my life. They were both in the same spot….of the same person…and both have made me ridiculously happy.

1. First, our wedding ceremony is in a very unique setting: Linwood Park in Vermilion, Ohio. Linwood is a small community of cottages on the shores of Lake Erie, and the tiniest cottage of all the homes belongs to my Grandma. The cottage is more important to me and all my family members than I can put into words. Quite simply, Linwood is in our blood, and when I announced that I’d like to get married there, but aunts and grandma cried with joy and surprise (I’ll be the first to be married there). Linwood houses a rustic tabernacle – white, painted beams, stained glass and simple pews are its composition, and Jamie and I are excited to begin our married life in a place so special to our family. In addition to the ceremony being in a unique place, we are working to make sure that the ceremony itself is unique as well. Jamie’s uncle will marry us, my sisters will sing, and my friend Katie will play her cello. We want the entire thing to involve people that are important to us. We want our wedding photographs to reflect all of these people, and this beautiful setting, in addition to Jamie and myself. We want the day to be captured candidly and realistically.

2. Secondly, your photography talents would be a huge blessing to us financially. Our budget is around $15,000 (please, please God let it be lower than that!), and we are striving in every way to cut corners. Our parents are helping us out as they can, but Jamie and I are responsible for a great deal of the wedding costs – including the photography! All in all, money is very tight. I work as a Catholic high school teacher in downtown Cleveland, and Jamie works with young male sexual offenders. Needless to say, our work in the social service industry leaves much to be desired in terms of salary. Your generosity of photography would be priceless – cutting corners on photography is not something that is easy to do.

3.I had near to given up on hiring a wedding photographer. We are quite broke, they are impossibly expensive, and by and large…wedding photographs come out impersonal, stiff, and kind of corny. I was calling my buddy Adam to see if he could maybe put us in touch with some art school kids or band photographers who could do it on the cheap. He tossed out your name, just as something to check out. When we did we fell in love with your work. Forgiveness was granted to wedding photographers everywhere. We just could never afford it. Finding the contest on your blog shortly thereafter just seemed to smack of fate. It was just too random and too perfect for us not to win.

You have until noon on the 15th to send me your entry. I will then have my three favorites listed here later on the 15th for everyone to vote.

I have received several great entries so far and know it will be hard to choose.

I’ve also received one specific question which I thought would be good to answer here:

Can I enter a friend/family member into the contest? YES!

If you feel you know a couple that meets the qualifications described in the contest post, you are welcome to enter for them. The wedding date is crucial of course as well as why you think they might deserve the free photography.