This summer my little sister got married and it was  the highlight of the year! 

I’ve known Shelby (the bride in the middle) and Savannah (second right) and Abby (left) since they were in elementary school when I lived in Oklahoma for 6 years. These three incredible girls became little sisters to me, their parents like extra parents. They are family. I truly fell in love with these girls and their hearts. We would have breakfast on the floor in my apartment, dress up and dance in the living room, and go on bike rides for ice cream at Braums. Honored is an understatement when it comes to how lucky I feel to have watched these girls grow up before my eyes.

Being able to get a backseat to these families was truly life changing for me. Here is a few photos circa the 2006-2008 timeframe. : ) They are just the cutest babies! Lol And now they are all grow up, Abby is in graduate school in London, Shelby getting married, and Savannah taking on leadership roles in the tail end of college. HOW?! They were just so little yesterday!  These girls are going places and being a part of watching their story unfold has truly been such a fun ride.  SOOOOOO anyway back to the amazing Cooper wedding. Shelby got engaged and she called me the night Michael proposed, and told me in detail all about how he popped the big question!! There were photos of their entire relationship hung up, a complete surprise in her own backyard and the prettiest diamond ring!  I cried tears of joy with her and also couldn’t believe the little 8 year old I knew was about to get married!! (Great job Micheal on that proposal by the way, so perfect!)

Oh these three girls, I just really don’t even have the words!  I couldn’t wait to buy my plane ticket to be there for her wedding weekend! Later, I got a box in the mail a few months before with a hanger that said “bridesmaid” and I was SOO confused. I literally thought  I had ordered a bride hanger off etsy for a shoot or something and just forgot about it??  And then I realized the note was from Shelby asking if I would be a bridesmaids and I was literally sobbing happy tears! It has been years since I have lived in Oklahoma and unexpected because this girl has SO many friends, I was happy just to have a seat in the crowd! So the honor of standing up there next to her just totally overwhelmed me in the best way ever.

August couldn’t come fast enough, and though I was sad that I had to miss out on some super fun stuff like dress shopping and her shower,  I did my best to be present from afar and I was all in come wedding weekend! It was so fun to arrive in Oklahoma and see all that the McMillon familiy and bridesmaids had been doing to prepare for Shelby’s big day. Reception decor filled their entire garage with the cutest  signs, vintage photos her mom had collected and her dad handmade a HUGE wood Texas and Oklahoma for the wedding, but also for their home! How perfect! It really hit me seeing all the pieces come together behind the scenes how much a family REALLY puts into a wedding day and making it special.

It was so fun getting to be a part of the bridal party, get our nails done and run around that weekend with her and the family picking up cookies, and setting up the reception hall. Watching all of the behind the scenes of the weekend unfold and get to help every step of the way.

So I got to be there to watch this one get married. The day, actually the whole weekend was just perfect from beginning to end. The weather was cool and thank the Lord no rain! Shelby’s dress and hair and makeup were  all came together and just looked gorgeous on her. The florals came out incredible and honestly they had the sweetest first look I’ve ever seen! You can check that out on Keepit-reel.com page cause it is adorable! I didn’t shoot there wedding, the incredible Kelcy Leigh did but I also couldn’t be there and not snap a few photos, so I just had to share because hello my little sister got married and it was the best day ever!

Shelby after her first look with her dad, lots of tears!  Behind every beautiful bride is the story of her family. Her mom, her dad, her sister… And every wedding is SUCH a family event. It is truly a day celebrating the coming together of so MANY people. Getting to witness the behind the scenes of it all truly put that into perspective. So fun to witness it all.

When your sister helps you get your dress on… just the best. I never had a sister and this moment just hits it home even more that I am SOOO glad that I have two little girls; someday they will have this moment and I can’t wait to watch it. oh my gosh. how cute are they!? 

And this is one of my other little sisters Savannah, with her sweet boyfriend Jordan! It was so good to meet him and see this little sis grow up before my eyes! They are so cute together you guys!! Shelby and I are kinda the same and we always joked as she was growing up that she was like me. Like we forget our keys sometimes, and space important events, even if its on our calendar, we truly try out best but just can’t seem to quite be on time. Lol. She is endearing and laughs a ton and truly cares about other people. They came out to visit me earlier this year and they way she loved our little girls was just the sweetest. She is gonna be a great mom someday. I love you love you Shelby! Thanks for being a mini-me and relating to all the times we loose our stuff and cry over silly things that make us feel all the feels! You make me laugh in the best way!

 Shelby and Michael, I am so incredibly happy for you and the life you have begun together! Thank you for allowing to to have a first class seat to watch you perfect wedding day unfold. You approached each moment with joyfulness and it is a testament to the love between you both and your love for God. You guys have so many great years ahead of you! Much love!

Your big sister-  Jenn