We’ve known Maggie since 2008, when she was Mike’s new girlfriend. We joined Mike’s family during their Kiawah Island vacation to photograph Mike’s sister Betsy’s engagement session (check out Betsy and Hansen’s North Carolina mountain wedding), and we did a family beach portrait of everyone at the end. Because Maggie was just the new girlfriend, we did some shots *with* her, and some without, which is typical of a new-girlfriend situation. I mean, you just never know how things will work out right?
But I think Mike always knew. There was no way he was letting this girl get away. Maggie absolutely radiates happiness and warmth, and because of that everyone loves being around her. She just makes everything better. As for Mike, he exudes kindness and selflessness. And their two families are the kinds of families you wish you were a part of. We got to pretend a little that week anyway, as they treated us like family from Day 1.
Day 1 of this Barbados wedding weekend was a night out on the town with Maggie and Mike’s friends. We drank and danced at the famous Reggae Lounge. Day 2 was a catamaran cruise with lots of rum punch, snorkeling and swimming with turtles. Later that night was the casual and fun rehearsal dinner at Oistins Fish Fry, where our delightful bride and her friends (and the moms!) danced onstage. And Day 3 was the wedding, right there in the backyard of the Nelson Gay House, where they were all staying for the week (we were next door at Cobbler’s Cove). It was a day of tearful emotion, sweaty humidity, a fun wedding dinner with more tears, and yes everyone into the pool at the end – including us, because boy was it hot. I had been eyeing that pool all day.
So you know what they say, good things happen to good people. And that’s exactly what you see here. Two good people, having good things happen to them, surrounded by beauty and love. And now Maggie gets to be in ALL the photos.