Photographing a wedding is always special to me. It’s even more special when the bride and groom are friends.

I had the privilege recently to photograph the wedding of friends Joe and Erin. I met Joe through a networking group we were both a part of. It was through there that he and his fiance Erin hired me to photograph their wedding.

I didn’t know a lot about Joe and Erin’s story, so I asked them a few questions on their wedding day. They met through a running club they were both a part of. Joe has run marathons — Erin half marathons. They have known each other just a few short years but they found they were perfect for each other.

The wedding was on kind of a hot day downtown in the Apothecary Lofts in Lincoln’s Haymarket. It was a Friday, so parking was a challenge. I parked as close to the front door as I could to unload my gear then pulled around the corner to a parking garage. I found Erin with her wedding party and family in one of the two lofts and Joe with his side in the other. I proceeded do some setup and get some quick photos of the wedding parties as they prepared.

The couple did something I had not seen done. They had a different type of first look using a yellow umbrella. Erin covered her face as Joe approached her. They took each other’s hand but they didn’t see each other’s faces because the yellow umbrella was between them.

The ceremony was lovely. The officiant, being a friend, who delivered a charming talk and sprinkled it with plenty of personal facts that were fun to hear.

After the ceremony, we took a stroll to the nearby Railyard and got some photos, then attended the beautiful reception in the Ridenour Room.

Thanks to Joe and Erin for allowing me to be a part of their big day.