Sarah + Tyler
05.08.2022
My husband and I grew up in the same hometown as Tyler, deep in the heart of Texas. When Kyle proposed to me, Tyler was hiding behind a fort made of cedar bark, rocks, and branches. My husband, Kyle, his brother, and his dad spent all week making the blind for Tyler to use to capture our big moment. I remember being so confused, so caught up in the moment of being newly engaged, so excited, when I saw a random guy with a camera emerge from the wilderness. Turns out, it was Tyler. I remember being so alarmed, because moments before Kyle proposed, I went pee in the woods somewhat near the location Tyler was hiding. I saw him and immediately thought “Oh noooo he totally saw me pee!!”… But no worries, he said he didn’t see me!! HAHA thank goodness. Whew.
Fast forward to our wedding, Tyler was there, standing next to Kyle on his big day. He flew out, from Salt Lake City to Fischer Tx, for our cute little wedding in a 100-year-old white barn.
The next time we saw Tyler was about a year into our marriage, when we flew to SLC for another friend’s wedding. It was at that wedding, where I became so mesmerized by photography. I watched the wedding photographers allll night, and started to daydream of documenting such precious life moments.
The morning after the wedding, Kyle and I went to visit Tyler, and his new wonderful girlfriend, Sarah. Hanging out in their kitchen, I shared with them my epiphany of wanting to start taking photos. I had no idea where to start, or what my vision was, but I just knew I wanted to be a photographer. Our awesome-photographer-buddy-Tyler left the kitchen, and came back with a Trader Joe’s bag full of gear. Inside was a mirrorless Nikon with batteries and accessories. I remember him saying “Go for it, just give it back when you get a camera. Or just do me a favor and sell it for me, I don’t really use it anymore.” !!!
I remember thinking ‘Well, now I gotta do it.’ My dream had become a reality, thanks to Tyler’s generosity and encouragement.
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Sarah reached out to me late March asking me to photograph a trip for her. She told me the dates, location, and casually mentioned that she would be participating in the World Championship Ironman in St.George, Utah. Oh and then get married to Tyler the next day. !!! So as she trained for this HUGE endeavor she would be putting her mind and body through… she also planned a wedding. As if planning a wedding isn’t stressful enough by itself!!
Kyle and I, along with Sarah and Tyler’s closest family and friends, flew in to SLC and travelled down to St.George to gear up Sarah, hang out at the AirBNB, prepare for the wedding, and spend quality time together while cheering her on as she competed.
Sarah swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 miles, and ran 26.2 miles in 14 hrs and 16 mins. We spent those 14 hours running around St.George in trucks, on bikes, running next to Sarah, holding signs, cheering her on, chugging water, and chasing shade. I got so exhausted, and I didn’t even compete!! We were, and still are, SO proud of her and just in total awe of her determination and willpower.
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The next day, we drove out into Snow Canyon to get Sarah & Tyler married! Surrounded by friends and family, Tyler’s older brother married them out in the desert. It was so beautiful, intimate, and not gonna lie pretty windy. The location was extra special, seeing that Sarah had biked through the canyon the day before!
After the ceremony, everyone gathered to reflect on the weekend and showered the newly-weds with love. We ate home-made goat cheesecake with everyone, then ran around on the red and lava rocks. The views were breathtaking, as you’ll see in the photos. Driving out of the canyon, we stopped at a lookout, where the wind almost literally swept us away. None of us had experienced anything like it. We were getting pelted with sand, which made us laugh and get sand in our mouths… making us laugh even harder. We ran for it and drove to a nearby slot canyon to climb and explore while the sun set.
It was an all-around unforgettable trip, where we made memories I will always cherish. I'm so honored to have been the one to capture it all. <3
