megan + ian

Filed in weddings shot by Ayres Photography on December 16, 2012 at

Megan and Ian are two absolutely amazing people who have the sweetest hearts and are just super fun to be around.  From the first time we met them (and their dog who also came to the meeting for a doggie play date with Lily), we knew that they would be fantastic to work with, and we were so right.  What an amazing day!  One thing I will always remember about Megan and Ian’s wedding is what Ben said to me as we were driving home that night.  He looked over at me and said, “I really like them…and they have awesome friends.”  That pretty much sums up my feelings, as well.  :)

We asked this fabulous couple if they would be willing to share some of their favorite wedding day memories, and not only were they willing, but they really put a ton of thought into it, so make sure you take the time to read them!  They are so incredibly sweet!  Look for those throughout the post!

Megan:  “The most memorable moment was definitely the first time I saw Ian that day.  We decided to do pictures before the ceremony so Ian had arrived at the park first and was waiting patiently for me.  Jenn was taking some pictures of the ladies and myself walking across the bridge and the moment I stepped off it I saw him and the waterworks began!  I just couldn’t believe the day that I get to marry the most amazing man was finally here!!  I turned back towards the girls and they were all trying to help me not cry so I didn’t mess up my makeup.  I’ve never been so happy to have such amazing people by my side.  I finally gained some composure and started walking towards him.  Jenn was walking beside me for a little bit and said ‘it’s completely natural to cry, but make sure you smile too!!’  She had a good point, who wants to look sad in their wedding pictures?!  So as I continued to walk and try not to cry, I noticed all the groomsmen off to the side.  As I got closer to them I realized they were all snapping like a scene right out of the West Side Story.  Hilarious!! Well that was all I needed to keep a HUGE smile on my face!  Again, I’ve never been so happy to have such awesome people there for me.  When I finally reached him and he turned around with a big smile on his face, it was a moment I will never ever forget!”

Ian:  “We took pictures before the ceremony (which I would highly recommend, it was great to have one less obligation right after the wedding to worry about). Ben and Jen had suggested doing a “first look picture” so that we could still capture the moment. Also, we are not very superstitious people, so seeing each other before the ceremony wasn’t a huge deal for us. All of the guys went to the park that we were going to take the pictures at and waited for the girls to arrive. I had my back to Megan as she was walking towards me. I remember being so excited and nervous at the same time.  When she finally walked around me I could see how absolutely beautiful she looked!  She was smiling and fighting back the tears all at the same time. I will never forget that moment.”

Ian:  “All of my groomsmen came over to my parents house that morning to get dressed before we went to take pictures. My dad made his famous eggs benedict for breakfast. It was quite chaotic with 7 guys trying to get ready all at the same time and share the one iron there because none of us had managed to keep our shirts from getting wrinkled from the time we picked them up the day before. Once everyone was finally ready the entire group did a shot of Goldschlager to kick off what we all knew was going to be an amazing day!”Ian:  “Shortly after all the guys were ready Ben met us at my parents house. We all went outside to take some goofy pictures with the guys before meeting the girls at the park. Ben then made the mistake of telling us that if we had any picture pose suggestions to let him know and we could try to set them up. From that moment on he was bombarded with the most ridiculous ideas that all seemed so center around having people climb up in to trees for pictures.”Megan:  “I think for most brides a moment with their father is definitely a top five moment.  I know it was for me.  I was waiting in the bridal room while all the girls were walking out to take their place for the ceremony.  I finally got to the door and there he was waiting for me.  He looked over and smiled and I could tell he was trying to keep it together, just like I was.  He always says I am his twin because we are so much alike and I love that I am just like him.  Our dance together was also special.  We picked a Johnny Cash song that had a little beat to it and had great lyrics.   Fun and loving, just like us!”Ian:  “We had our longtime college buddy, Matt, perform the ceremony for us. He was awesome! His words were very personal and moving, but he also added in stories that got everyone laughing. It was great having a minister that we were such good friends with because it made it so genuine.”Megan:  “I had been planning out the ceremony music for quite some time.  I probably listened to the songs a thousand times before the wedding day.  When the time came and the processional music started to play it was so surreal.  I had envisioned this moment so many times and it was exactly how I thought it would be.  Now every time I hear those three songs I can’t help but smile.  Especially when I hear “Ho Hey” by The Lumineers and remember walking out hand in hand with my husband and then hugging all our best friends!  Moments like that are hard to top!”Megan:  “We did a lot of crafty things for the wedding.  When we arrived at Kloc’s and saw everything together it was such a great feeling!  All of the little touches we had from the cardbox Ian made, to the tree I designed on the pint glasses that went with the reading for the ceremony.  It all came together so perfectly.”Megan:  “We could not have chosen more PERFECT people to be a part of our day.   Ian asked one of our friends, Matt, if he would do us the honor of marrying us.  I’m so glad he did!  The ceremony was a perfect blend of love and laughs!  Many of our guests commented on what a great job he did.  We asked our friend, Shannon, if she would do a reading during the ceremony.  I thought it was beautiful when I found it but hearing her read it, it was a thousand times more beautiful.  Our bridal party was for certain the best bunch of people you will ever come across!   All four speeches were incredible!  When we arrived at Kloc’s and left a box of flowers on the shuttle, the bridal party came to the rescue by plucking petals off as many roses as they could to fill up the buckets for the flower girls.  A million other things everyone did in the months before the wedding and throughout the day still amaze me.  We are truly blessed to have such great people in our lives!”Ian:  “I hadn’t really eaten anything since breakfast and throughout the long day of picture taking, getting everything ready, and going through the ceremony I had built up quite the appetite and Kloc’s made an amazing spicy jerk grilled chicken.”Kloc’s Grove has beautiful grounds for night shots.  :)And, we’ll wrap up the post with this fabulous wedding advice from our lovely couple. :)

“Make the day about you!! It can be hard to not get hung up on what other people want but in the end this day is about the love shared by the two of you so any decision you make should be exactly what you want. This might actually be the one day in your life that it is completely ok to be super selfish! Be prepared for something to go wrong, but at the same time don’t sweat it! You are going to have so many amazing memories from this day that those little mishaps will seem so trivial afterwords. If you are going to do anything crafty, take the amount of time that you think that it will take you and triple it, and that is how long it will actually take. Also, make sure to get AMAZING photographers like Ben and Jenn. They were extremely easy to work with and they beautifully captured our big day. We couldn’t be happier with everything they’ve done!”

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Megan and Ian – we are so very lucky that you happened to find us! Being a part of your wedding day was an absolutely wonderful experience. Thank you SO MUCH for choosing us to document these wonderful memories for you! We think you two are pretty incredible peeps, and we wish you a lifetime of happiness and love!! Your pals, J + B :)