Shooting weddings is fun and exciting…young love at it’s best, but you know that saying about fine wine getting better with age?  I think that can be found in marriage as well — as the years tick by, it gets better and better if you work hard and dedicate yourself.  This amazing pair, who also happen to be my Aunt Jan and Uncle John, just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.  They are most certainly a great example of true love.  They are absolute soul mates and holy cow does it show!  They’re two people who have that “young love” feel about their relationship even though it’s 40 years (not including the years they dated) in the making!

John and Jan raised four rowdy boys who have become loving, caring, genuine young men who have a zest for life.  They’re all unique in their own ways and yet they can all be so alike in their mannerisms, their smiles, laughs, and their interactions with each other.  Two of them, Nick and Johnny, have given John and Jan their first two grandsons (with one more due any day now!), 4 year old Jack, and 11 month old William.  It would be an understatement to say that John and Jan are smitten with them.

Nick’s wife, Sara, told me she’s pretty much over the whole being pregnant thing this time around, but my gosh, does she wear pregnancy well!  She even rocked some boots with heels for this session and humored me with some maternity shots :)

When you’ve got an awesome piece of land like John and Jan have and you get the opportunity to do a photo session on it, you get to ask the family to do all sorts of fun things!  

Joe and Madelyn were good sports about me asking them to do all the “weird" things like sit in the grass, sit in a bed of rocks, lean against an old barn, and so on but when you’ve got property that’s as awesome as John and Jan’s, you just can’t pass up those opportunities!  

Johnny and his wife,Teri, were also subjected to sitting in weeds and grass by the barn and on an old wagon but in my defense, it was Teri’s idea!  ha!  And with that, we let William and Jack have a turn “driving" the old tractor. 

Thankfully everyone was ready for a good time (seriously though, this family is ALWAYS having a good time!), including Nick and Joe who are twins with a great sense of humor and a *little bit* of competition in their blood.

John and Jan have lived in the same house together for the last 40 years.  John has built on to their house and despite them having raised four boys in it, it still looks impeccable.  John never ceases to amaze me with the care and tireless effort he puts in to their house and land.  He planted every single tree on their property including one he planted for their 20th wedding anniversary.  It was such an honor to be able to capture them in their element, on their land, where they spent day after day, week after week, year after year growing and nurturing their family.  It has begun to grow and develop into a beautiful extended family and I’m sure will continue to grow as the years go on!

 

Happy Anniversary, John and Jan!  And a shout out to their youngest son, Mikey, and his fiancee, Toni, who couldn’t make it in from out of town for the shoot!