She was just Maggie's best friend. Just a girl for Sam's little sister to spend time with and have fun. But somehow, after a tour in Iraq, Sara looked different to Sam. She was actually "kinda cute" and something sparked. Maybe that's what a tour in Iraq will do to you--make you see things anew.

Now, with two tours under his belt, 7.5 years of service complete, Sam and Sara cemented their blossoming relationship under a gorgeously flowered arch at Waterloo's

Sunnyside Golf Course & Country Club.

Surrounded by blue bydrangeas, pink peonies and their closest friend & family, Sam & Sara started their own tour. Through marriage.

As

Jane's

second shooter for the day, my duties revolved around the groom and his men:

and a little bling that the groomsmen get to carry in their pocket all day:

as well as the occassional lady, in his life (Sam's mom, Geraldine and sister, Maggie)

Now, here's where the other part of my job as second shooter comes into play-the details! Sara did a slam dunk when it came to giving me plenty to keep busy. I think besides photographing our gorgeous bride the entire day, I could've stuck with those blooms for quite some time:

Sunnyside's event coordinator, Candace, always does a fantastic job with place settings and making their reception area look gorgeous.

The ceremony site overlooked the pond and was a beautiful setting for the day.

I always educate brides on the benefit of a First Look and Sam & Sara helped ease the flow of their day by giving us plenty of time to photograph them prior to the ceremony:

After giving them a few minutes just to themselves, we moved into the bridal portraits.

In between photos and the ceremony, I snuck back up to the reception area and catpured a few of Sara's beautiful cake:

Sara's dad is such a classy gentleman and did a fine job of giving his daughter away.

I knew I would love this image the minute it clicked because the wind gently picked up Sara's train and gave it life. Simply gorgeous!

As second shooter, during the ceremony, I float in the background. I love being behind the scenes and capturing images like the following. Sam & Sara had an absolutely stunning day:

Following the ceremony, we moved into family formal photos and while Jane was working with Sam & his family, I snapped a few of just Sara:

After all family combinations had been completed, we ended with Sam & Sara (and the buttery light accompanied us the entire time.)

Sara + Sam: Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your day! You did such a beautiful job planning and preparing that I know your marriage is set up for success. Congratulations and I pray nothing but blessings,

Sincerely,

Carrie