The lyrics to one of my favorite songs says, “Oh happy day, happy day, I’ll never be the same.” On October 26, 2014, Claire and Chad were able to enjoy an “Oh so happy day” as they took another step in their wedding planning journey. It was time for their engagement photo shoot and what better setting than to incorporate their love to be on or near the water and return to the location to which Chad had so perfectly planned out and used to ask one of the most important questions of his (their)life. So off to Wolf Bay in Orange Beach they head on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
Upon the shoreline of Claire’s granny’s old beach lot stand many cherished memories of her childhood. It was here that she and her family spent many summer days enjoying the water and watching the boats come and go. For years Claire had watched the Windy Ways sailboat come and go, but had never been for a sailboat ride. Not only did she get her dream proposal, but she also received a childhood dream of riding on a sailboat; the Windy Ways sailboat. Captain Skip of the Windy Ways sailboat and Sailaway Charters Company was so kind to let Claire and Chad come back and take pictures upon the sailboat which took Claire on the ever so unforgettable sailboat trip of her life which lead her back to the shores of her grandmothers old beach lot where Chad stood awaiting his gift from God.
The memories Claire has of this special place will forever be cherished. Her granny passed away in 2008 and Claire misses her so incredibly much. The gift Chad gave her in using her granny’s old beach lot as the setting for the wedding proposal made her feel as if she had a piece of her grandmother there with her to share in this special day. Chad set a high standard with his proposal, but from what I can access he is a high standard kind of guy and his thoughtfulness comes from his true God inspired love for Claire.
I asked Claire what stood out to her the most about this experience or what advice she would give to other brides and grooms. She said, “one thing I would tell other brides and grooms is to just relax and have fun during your pictures. Chad and I had never had professional pictures done together before, so we were pretty nervous that we would mess things up somehow, haha. After we just relaxed, let our hair down so to speak, and just interacted with one another as we do on a daily basis, I felt like the pictures then truly reflected who we are as a couple (And of course, Jaclyn and Bill with Photography by Jaclyn Robinson are amazing and made us feel SO incredibly comfortable in front of the camera.) Some of my favorite pictures from that day are the ones where we forgot we were being photographed; we were able to laugh, have fun, and just enjoy each other’s company.”
She also said, “Chad and I struggled with this at first, and we tried so many different options as to what we felt looked best. I would encourage couples to complement one another but not be too “matchy matchy.” Wear something you are comfortable in and choose outfits that go with your picture location. For us, since we were going to be on the sailboat, we chose neutral colors that almost reflected a subtle nautical theme.” One of things which stood out to her the most about this experience happened to be one of the funniest things. Claire said, “When we received our photos a few weeks later from the Photography by Jaclyn Robinson, Chad and I were like kids on Christmas morning anxiously waiting to see how they turned out. We were both at our own houses when Jaclyn sent them to us. We stayed on the phone for over an hour going back and forth saying, “Oh! That one’s my favorite! I like this one! Do you like that one?!” It was truly a fun experience, and I am so incredibly pleased with our picture results.”
Pictures provided by: Photography by Jaclyn Robinson