I junk on all my journeys! It thrills my retro loving soul!

I junk on all my journeys! It thrills my retro loving soul!
Oh, the places you'll go! ~ Dr. Seuss

Friday, July 24, 2015

#HappilyEverHurst

Please forgive me… This is so long overdue! Most of you know my son had an electrical accident a few days after this wedding, he is doing well now, but we are playing catch-up like crazy!!! Of course something this awesome is never old news, so enjoy! 

I have been dying to share a little behind the scenes of this totally amazing day with you all! As I type this post, the biggest crocodile tears ever... are steaming down my face AGAIN! I cannot express enough what an amazing couple Jon and Ashley are! That quote "to know them is to love them" is a major understatement. The love that they have for each other flows out of them like a fountain of happiness that showers everyone in their reach! This was our very first wedding in the new SJ Warehouse. It was truly a night that you never want to end! But there is so much more to that story! I’ll try to make it short and sweet but there is a minutes worth of history here!

Ashley, the gorgeous bride has been shooting sessions at SJ from the very beginning, in fact, she was one of the first photographers to ever shoot with us. Many of the exciting options that have unfolded at Southern Jeweled, Ashley was the first to use all the way back to our very first Fall mini shoot setups! Then the back pasture boudoirs, the valentine minis, many custom built sets just for her clients… Anyway, you get the picture! So when Jon proposed and the engagement was on, she called me and said okay we are getting married in May 2015! And… I want you to do my entire wedding, all of it!!! TWO YEARS I got to play in this magical place with her! I was honored and thrilled! We had developed a beautiful and honest friendship, a real bond and she knew my heart would be in this like crazy! By this time I had already started hauling all of my vintage goodness around doing weddings, here, there and everywhere! My dreams were coming true and she was there with love and support through it all! In the meantime we were constantly talking and planning her’s and Jon’s big day! A Pinterest board, looking at locations, dreaming up new ones, laughing and loving all of the exciting things to come! We planned her Bridals, her boudoirs… The whole enchilada!

Then as another of my dreams grew closer, I went on the hunt for a venue to house our huge inventory and to possibly even be big enough to hold weddings and events!? I wasn’t really sure what God had planned just yet. Then thanks to a tip from a sweet friend, I found it! The industrial look warehouse that I have had dancing around in my head for so long! This place had not been used in years and was going to need lots and lots of TLC, super hard work, time and money, but I could see past all of that and I jumped in taking my husband and son with me! (So thankful love is blind!) It might have been a little scary to someone that couldn’t see my vision, so I didn’t want just anybody to see it in its present state but, I called Ashley and said… Oh My Gosh! Come see!

She and Jon came to see it the very next week! I hadn’t done a thing to it yet, I’ll post a before picture for you. Ashley walked in and was immediately thrilled as I knew she would be, but Jon… Different story there. He looked it over, looked at Ashley and right there in front of me with the most serious face I have ever seen him have, he said, “Are you sure she can do this?” Ashley and I just looked at each other and laughed, I so cherish her faith in me! The rest of the story is right here in this amazing wedding video by Savannah Wheeler Photography. Location: Southern Jeweled Warehouse Venue and our amazing downtown area in Wichita Falls, Texas! Rockstars: Jon and Ashley Hurst and their amazing family and friends! Go ahead click the link and if you find yourself crying and or drooling, don’t worry it is a perfectly normal reaction to something this awesome! We love you Ashley and Jon! Blessings beyond measure to you forever!


 Much Love, Big Hugs, ~Lori       
Before

After!