Ruthie and Jonah's Elegant NH Farmstead Wedding

A subtle breeze began to blow and the sound of thunderous cheers filled the air, as Jonah & Ruthie briskly marched down the aisle excitedly waving to friends and family. For the first time, they had just been announced: Mr. & Mrs. Jonah Bult! After being able to celebrate their destination proposal in Camden, ME and their snowy engagement session with them, let’s just say we had a lot of excited anticipation for this day!

 

Jonah & Ruthie greeted their new siblings-in-law with big “welcome to the family” bear hugs and “I love you’s.” In this case, I feel it’s more appropriate to call them siblings-in-love. You see, all siblings have their moments of disagreement and drama. But both the Bult and Rogers families have seemed to accomplish something I envy for my kids as they grow. As adults, these mature, kind, giving siblings and their parents LOVE just being together. I know, it sounds simple, but it's true! I don’t know how else to describe it. They are legitimately best friends and spend as much time as possible together! The moment of immediate, “I love you’s” and “I’m so glad I can finally call you my sibling,” was a perfect example of the closeness these families share.

 

Another one of my favorite moments from the day came as Ruthie’s dad opened the reception. He said when he moved to NH as a teenager, the first person he met was Jonah’s uncle, Kevin Bult. Kevin & Darren (Jonah’s dad) became two of his best friends in the next few years. In God’s sovereignty, He managed to bring these two families together! The icing on the cake was that Kevin even officiated the wedding!

 

The biggest thing I gathered from my time with Jonah & Ruthie was how they make other people better. Ruthie poures into her sisters and loved ones, so much so that she even had the opportunity to lead her sister, Cathryn, to Christ! Her youngest sister, Phoebe, even went as far as to ask Jonah & Ruthie to adopt her. As a child, Jonah was a daredevil, never afraid to shy away from a challenge. Even challenges that left him bruised, bloodied, or in one specific case unconscious. (You’ll have to ask his brother Noah for that story!) And that drive to be the best at everything propelled both of his brothers to strive for excellence! Nothing like some a little brotherly competition, right?

Having a first look with her dad was such a sweet moment for this daddy’s girl of a bride.

Ruthie and her girls had a relaxing morning at home getting ready, drinking coffee and laughing together. They surprised her with a scrapbook of memories and handwritten notes from each of them! And then there’s the moment when they saw her in her wedding dress. Scroll a little farther to see their reactions!

One of Ruthie’s bridesmaids got held up with canceled flights! They were both so disappointed. But part way through the ceremony, she surprised everyone by walking right down to her spot! She made it! It was such a sweet moment for Ruthie, so we made sure to do more bridesmaid photos with everyone after the ceremony even though we had already done most of them before.

The last thing I want to say is this, Jonah’s parents were my first youth leaders when in 7th grade. I remember how intimidating it was to be a small fish in a big pond, but Kim & Darren made me feel at home right away. Now as adults, they have continued to make me (and my wife and kids now!) feel welcome as they surround us with love, support and much needed community.

 

Jonah and Ruthie make a perfect team! In fact, they remind me a lot of their parents. Who knows, maybe one day my kids will get to have them as their first youth leaders!!

Thanks to all these incredible vendors!

Wedding Planner: Aisle Runners

Invitations: Magnet Street

Florist: Jolene Lampman of New England Nesters

Photographer: Tommy Montgomery Photo

Second Shooter: Madison Rae Photography

Hair Artist: Lindsey Willett

Bride’s Dress: David’s Bridal

Groom’s Attire: The Black Tux

Rentals: Special Events of New England

Venue: Private Farm

Reception: Reformation Bible Church

Ellie and Trevor's Timber Hill Farm Wedding

The sky said goodnight with a color story of lavender, blush & tangerine as the scent of dinner and the sound of laughter drifted off into the cool evening breeze. The setting was the breathtaking Timber Hill Farm in Gilford, NH. Majestic Mountains and Lake Winnipesaukee painted the sky behind the barn, but it felt like just another family game night for the Debelak and Chappell families. It was as if they were sitting around the living room sharing stories of how God brought Ellie & Trevor together.

The story of how an enthusiastic boy who would charge full speed ahead with little thought of the consequences became a meek man whose faithfulness to his friends and family came second only to his faithfulness to prayer and God’s Word.

The story of a little girl, the pride and joy of her parents, who would flourish into a young woman with heart to heal and a deep love of quality family time.

The story of how their dedication to their Savior would bring them together for a providential meeting in Illinois.

I couldn’t say it any better than the father of the bride, it was “a great day to have a good day.” Ellie & Trevor, along with their family and friends, handled the stress and details of the day with grace and kindness. And they were served by some of the most incredible wedding professionals around.

The feathers on the boutonnières were a special addition that the groomsmen added from their bachelor hunting trip.

These personalized, wooden napkin holders were a gift to each guest!

Oh, and they left on this tractor. It was the perfect personal touch since Ellie’s dad owns Chappell Tractor & Trevor is a sales rep there.

The sunsets at Timber Hill Farm are unrivaled!

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Debelak! We are praying for many, many joy-filled years of marriage for you!

Bri & Jason's Little White Church Lakes Region NH Wedding

I promised that I’d share more of Bri & Jason’s story, so here it is along with ALL my favorites from their wedding. (Disclaimer: there are a LOT of favorites, so you might want to stretch your scrolling finger before proceeding). But seriously, this wedding was a dream come true for so many reasons, so make sure to take scrolling breaks to find out why below!

Jason first spotted Bri when she was lifeguarding at the Alton Bay docks. He didn’t approach her then, but when she popped up as a friend suggestion on Facebook, he figured out what church she must go to because of their mutual friends. Then, all he had to do was conveniently shows up at her church, so they could meet. Bri remembers that he definitely caught her eye when she saw him from the platform as she sang with a group of friends. Fast forward to their engagement, they got engaged right by the same dock where Jason first spotted her lifeguarding! Click here to see their engagement photos and the very spot that he popped the question! Doesn’t God write the best love stories?

All of the locations for the day were a dream for this natural light photographer! Bri and her girls got ready at the top of this gorgeous ‘tower’ at Camp Maranatha in New Durham. The room had huge windows on all sides letting in floods of gorgeous light! It gave their photos the dreamiest bridal glow!

From there, we headed to the property of friends of the bride for some epic portraits on a rock formation with a view of the mountains behind them. Another nerdy dream come true for me was the perfect light layer of clouds perfectly diffusing the mid-day sunlight for the lightest and airiest photos!

Another amazing part of their wedding story was how they landed on a ceremony location. The mother of the bride recounts how she wished she and her husband could have gotten married at this cute little white church in New Durham way back when. It didn’t work out for them because their wedding was in November and the church wasn’t heated.

Bri had dreams of getting married in the same church, too, but COVID restrictions got in the way so she booked another location. Less than a week before the wedding, I got a message from Bri. With COVID restrictions starting to lift, the little white church was allowing them to get married there! So, they quickly made necessary changes and I’m SO glad it worked out! Check out this adorable space! It was so full of light, elegance, and my favorite- New England charm!

Then, there’s the get-a-way car! The bride’s cousin was able to secure this bad boy from his boss and then, he even fulfilled the roll of a dapper chauffeur!

Two things that are very special to the bride’s family are: Camp Maranatha and fresh flowers. Bri’s family has volunteered countless hours at this camp, so it was only fitting to hold the wedding reception here. Fresh flowers have been part of many special family traditions and this wedding was no exception. The Mother of the Bride (along with some other family helpers) ran all around New Hampshire to find these gorgeous blooms and arranged all the floral decorations, including Bri’s bouquet!

Also, you’ll see one shot here of Bri & Jason making ice cream sundaes for each other. They both love ice cream (obviously, one of the main reasons we connected with them!), so they did this in lieu of smashing wedding cake. I loved this personal touch and didn’t complain at all about ice cream sundaes!

We connected with Bri & Jason right away over our mutual love for ice cream, Alton Bay, NH and so many more things! When I first talked to Bri, she told me that she remembers Kaelyn & I from our time working at The Wilds of New England. I spent 4 summers working on staff there, and Bri happened to be a camper the summer after Kaelyn and I got married. She remembered seeing us walk around the campsite holding hands and it left an impression on her. I had no idea that little action would make an impact, never mind introduce us to such a sweet bride & groom someday. I’m so thankful how God works!