Having her wedding in the middle of the snowy northern Minnesota winter was not what Tina had envisioned, nor having a long distance relationship with her future husband, but that all changed when she met Gus.
Their families have known each other for generations, yet Tina and Gus had never met. It took some help from friends to get them to finally meet at a church retreat last year. Once Gus laid eyes on Tina, he was instantly drawn to her and wanted to get to know her better.
Tina was a bit more hesitant and decided that email correspondence was a slower paced and safer way to get to know him versus the phone. Gus was thrilled to even get to speak to Tina, so he happily committed to email, even though he was working on a farm in Iowa and living somewhere that didn’t have Internet. He would have to travel into town at night to get some Wi-Fi to check his email. There’s some true commitment!
Gus faithfully made his trips to town to see if Tina had emailed and was always very prompt to email her back. To say the least, he was very good at pursing and was very much in love. By the time they met in person again, Tina was definitely in love with him as well.
A surprise trip to Minnesota was arranged and with the help of Tina’s sisters, Gus planned a beautiful proposal on the top of a ski hill. Talk about romantic! Tina’s sisters invited her to go on a hike with them and she happily agreed. Tina was completely caught off guard when she realized that the man with the flowers she had seen, that looked like he was about to propose to someone, was actually Gus! It was a success!
When Tina and Gus arrived to my home for engagement photos last fall, I instantly understood why Tina’s original vision changed so easily. Those two were made for each other!!! Seriously, I don’t think I ever saw Gus without a smile during my time with them, minus when instructed to not smile for a photo :). A combination of his fun and caring personality and Tina’s soft genuine personality and joyful spirit, made for one of the sweetest laid-back couples I’ve met.
As soon as I met their families on their wedding day, Tina and Gus made even more sense. Their family and friends were so unbelievably warm and kind to everyone. They welcomed me with open arms and even made me tear up a few times as they went out of their way to express their gratitude and made me feel like part of their family.
Tina was given the opportunity to travel back to Peru this spring, where she was a missionary, and really wanted Gus to join her on this trip and meet all the people she knew, so that brings us to the reason they decided to move their wedding to the middle of winter.
I’ve been looking forward to their winter wedding and I couldn’t have been happier with the results! Just look at how the snow made everything look like this wedding came straight out of a fairytale book!
Gus and Tina, you two are truly as beautiful on the outside as you are on the inside. I love the way you love your family and love the way you love your friends like family. I felt so honored to be part of that inner circle for the weekend. Thank you for every kind word and action. You are world-class encouragers and truly know how to make people feel loved. I hope you love seeing yourselves through my lens and enjoy reliving your beautiful winter wedding for years to come. May God bless you both as you start this new chapter and enter this next season of life. I’m looking forward to many more times together in the future and cherish the friendship we have!
THE CREATIVE TEAM
venue: Storybook Lodge
Bride’s dress: Azazie Bridal • Bridesmaids dresses: Azazie Bridal • Bride’s ring: Kay Jewelry • Hair Artist: Emily Spaargaren • Makeup Artist: Charity Howell • Wedding Planner: Amy McLellan • Caterer: Roxanne Rodgers • Videographer: Stephen Moffitt • Pastor: John Heller • Photographers: Amy Gregg Photography + Anna Myers