A little rain didn’t stop this wedding! At Tina Joiner Photography, we are not afraid of any weather and you shouldn’t be either! Let’s be honest, weather is so unpredictable, so you should have the wedding of your dreams no matter what.
How They Met
Julie: Brian and I meet in Australia. We were both doing a 5-month mission trip through Youth With A Mission (YWAM). My first memory of Brian was jet-lagged and sleep-deprived and just follow the super tall guy, 6’4”, onto the correct train. We became friends quickly on the trip and enjoyed one another’s company. We were able to go through the highs and lows during our travels and got to know each other’s hearts and characters well. Throughout the trip I had a crush on Brian, he had eyes for another girl so we parted as friends. A few months later, a mutual friend was getting married in Oregon and we were both planning to attend the wedding. Brian was kind enough to pick me up from the airport and be the chauffeur for the weekend. We had a great time and I even got to meet his extended family at their annual beach trip on the coast. By the end of the trip, I had expressed my feelings and Brian was dutifully waiting on God. I got through security before God told him, “that’s the one”. Choice words were spoken along with time in prayer. I had sworn off men at this point and rejected a few of his calls. However, by the end of the night, he shared his feelings and by the end of the next weekend, we were dating. Lots of distance, constant communication, and far too much moving later, we’re still laughing about the story and still in love.
The Proposal
Brian: After 8 months of dating (6 of them Julie was out of the country), the best man, and I flew down to Denver to go snowboarding for the weekend up at Copper Mountain. After a full day of snow and mountains, Julie and I sat down to look through a calendar that I had made for us. We got to the month and March 24th was circled with “ask the most amazing girl to marry me” with a picture of her through the ring. Of course, I had to ask her on that day because it was on the calendar. When she looked up I was down on one knee, quoting the first Bible passage we had read together. I expressed that she’s my best friend and the fighter by my side and I would be honored to have her hand in marriage.
Favorite Wedding Moment
Julie: One of my favorites, though the whole day was thrilling, was doing the first look with Brian. Tina had found a beautiful pond with a fountain and I came over the hill and it was so picturesque. Brian was standing with his back turned and I remember thinking “don’t fall and tap the correct shoulder”, priorities. It was so much special to have that time together before standing before the crowd to just marvel at what was happening and to admire how special it was. I’m not much of a crier, but I was crying then. And two of my favorite pictures came from then, one was where Brian was looking at me so tenderly with a Kleenex, the second is when we were walking along the pond and it just looks like a stock photo, just absolutely beautiful with the background and the train.
Venue Selection
Julie: I have always been a horse girl and country at heart. My mom and I visited so many other venues, but when we found Spruce Mountain Ranch and saw the cows in the pasture, the wood, the fireplace, and the history of the ranch, I fell in love. Tara Ames was so nice and supportive throughout the process.
Advice and other thoughts
Julie: Pick the most important stuff to you, and don’t worry about the rest. There is so much that goes into planning a wedding and all of the little details. However, I found ~3 years later the stuff that I really cared about is what I remember and am fond of, the rest of the stress didn’t matter. Plus at the end of the day, you’re married to the person that you will spend the rest of your life with, which was the whole point.
Tina was fantastic about getting the pictures that I really wanted and capturing our personalities. She was also super creative and knew the property. She’ll take care of you. There were some very cool dusk/night shots she did and whatever magic she worked they look so cool with the backlighting and the sky colors.
Vendors
Venue | Spruce Mountain Ranch
Wedding Planner | Lina Hoekman Events
Photographer | Tina & Kate with Tina Joiner Photography
DJ | Rob Gillen with Function Pro DJ
Flowers | Abloom
Dress | The Bridal Collection
Dress Designer | Maggie Sottero
Bride’s Shoes | Ariat
Rings | Musselman Jewelers
Makeup Artist | Emi Mack-Roney
Hair Stylist | Rebekah Screeba
Menswear | Men’s Warehouse
Rentals | Event Rents
Catering | Biscuits & Berries
Stationary | Donahue Paper
A little rain didn’t stop this wedding! At Tina Joiner Photography, we are not afraid of any weather and you shouldn’t be either! Let’s be honest, weather is so unpredictable, so you should have the wedding of your dreams no matter what.
How They Met
Julie: Brian and I meet in Australia. We were both doing a 5-month mission trip through Youth With A Mission (YWAM). My first memory of Brian was jet-lagged and sleep-deprived and just follow the super tall guy, 6’4”, onto the correct train. We became friends quickly on the trip and enjoyed one another’s company. We were able to go through the highs and lows during our travels and got to know each other’s hearts and characters well. Throughout the trip I had a crush on Brian, he had eyes for another girl so we parted as friends. A few months later, a mutual friend was getting married in Oregon and we were both planning to attend the wedding. Brian was kind enough to pick me up from the airport and be the chauffeur for the weekend. We had a great time and I even got to meet his extended family at their annual beach trip on the coast. By the end of the trip, I had expressed my feelings and Brian was dutifully waiting on God. I got through security before God told him, “that’s the one”. Choice words were spoken along with time in prayer. I had sworn off men at this point and rejected a few of his calls. However, by the end of the night, he shared his feelings and by the end of the next weekend, we were dating. Lots of distance, constant communication, and far too much moving later, we’re still laughing about the story and still in love.
The Proposal
Brian: After 8 months of dating (6 of them Julie was out of the country), the best man, and I flew down to Denver to go snowboarding for the weekend up at Copper Mountain. After a full day of snow and mountains, Julie and I sat down to look through a calendar that I had made for us. We got to the month and March 24th was circled with “ask the most amazing girl to marry me” with a picture of her through the ring. Of course, I had to ask her on that day because it was on the calendar. When she looked up I was down on one knee, quoting the first Bible passage we had read together. I expressed that she’s my best friend and the fighter by my side and I would be honored to have her hand in marriage.
Favorite Wedding Moment
Julie: One of my favorites, though the whole day was thrilling, was doing the first look with Brian. Tina had found a beautiful pond with a fountain and I came over the hill and it was so picturesque. Brian was standing with his back turned and I remember thinking “don’t fall and tap the correct shoulder”, priorities. It was so much special to have that time together before standing before the crowd to just marvel at what was happening and to admire how special it was. I’m not much of a crier, but I was crying then. And two of my favorite pictures came from then, one was where Brian was looking at me so tenderly with a Kleenex, the second is when we were walking along the pond and it just looks like a stock photo, just absolutely beautiful with the background and the train.
Venue Selection
Julie: I have always been a horse girl and country at heart. My mom and I visited so many other venues, but when we found Spruce Mountain Ranch and saw the cows in the pasture, the wood, the fireplace, and the history of the ranch, I fell in love. Tara Ames was so nice and supportive throughout the process.
Advice and other thoughts
Julie: Pick the most important stuff to you, and don’t worry about the rest. There is so much that goes into planning a wedding and all of the little details. However, I found ~3 years later the stuff that I really cared about is what I remember and am fond of, the rest of the stress didn’t matter. Plus at the end of the day, you’re married to the person that you will spend the rest of your life with, which was the whole point.
Tina was fantastic about getting the pictures that I really wanted and capturing our personalities. She was also super creative and knew the property. She’ll take care of you. There were some very cool dusk/night shots she did and whatever magic she worked they look so cool with the backlighting and the sky colors.
Vendors
Venue | Spruce Mountain Ranch
Wedding Planner | Lina Hoekman Events
Photographer | Tina & Kate with Tina Joiner Photography
DJ | Rob Gillen with Function Pro DJ
Flowers | Abloom
Dress | The Bridal Collection
Dress Designer | Maggie Sottero
Bride’s Shoes | Ariat
Rings | Musselman Jewelers
Makeup Artist | Emi Mack-Roney
Hair Stylist | Rebekah Screeba
Menswear | Men’s Warehouse
Rentals | Event Rents
Catering | Biscuits & Berries
Stationary | Donahue Paper
