JW Marriott Camelback Inn | Scottsdale, Arizona Wedding | Walker & Molly

JW Marriott Camel Back Inn Wedding | Scottsdale Arizona Wedding | Laura & Rachel Photography

A Scottsdale Arizona wedding. I’m looking back through the images from Walker and Molly’s wedding and in aw of how beautiful the day was, but I struggled with how to write this blog. Do I share with you all the amazing highlights of the day and tell you how everything was perfect, or reveal the truth of how it was a personal struggle? Either way though portraits, you would never know.

Molly and Walker were getting married six days until Rachel’s due date, so I was already a bit nervous because it was an out of state wedding. That’s right, SIX days! We planned accordingly and had me flying in late of Friday, capture the wedding Saturday, and catch the first early morning flight home Sunday. Here is how the few days unfolded.

I awoke Saturday to a beautiful October morning! I arrived to the JW Marriott Camelback Inn nice and early, had a lot of beautiful details to capture, and knew I was going to be working with a rather large wedding party. The morning went off without a hitch, even included all the girls singing “Going to the chapel” acapella style as we were walking the hotel halls heading to the church.

I arrived at to Brophy Chapel what I believed to be just a few minutes before the guys. Found a place to stash my gear, took a few minutes to introduce myself to the pastor and learn the church rules, and get those overall church shots, both inside and out, before guests arrived. I kept checking my watch because the wedding party should have been there already. Calls were going to voicemail, so I just did what I could in the mean time and waiting. Guests started to arrive and my heart began rapidly beating. By this time, I was supposed to have captured their first look, couples portraits, and the complete wedding party, but I had nothing. Alone, in another state, and this far behind, inside I was crying, outside I was keeping my cool. I saw a limo arrive and bridesmaids pour out, running over to me, telling me they had gotten a flat tire, and had to have another limo come rescue them. I was revealed they were there on time, yet panicking that I had so much left to do in less than half the time I normally would.

We hid Molly from guests and walked her inside. A little shaken because of the tire fiasco, Molly was a rock-star and quickly because cool and collected. We decided with the few moments to share, Molly and Walker wanted to not to see each other, but share a prayer with their mothers. You could see the stress turn to excitement, and all these two wanted was to get married!

I had everyone take their places, even had the chance to hug a past bride and groom, with five minutes to spare. Inside I still didn’t know how I was going to make up that hour of portraits we missed, so at a personal breaking point, I walked into the church stairwell and called Rachel, in tears. Sixty seconds later, and pep talk from Coach Rachel, I was in the church, camera in hand, and a smile across my face. It was game time.

The ceremony was absolutely stunning! Once they were pronounced husband and wife, we were outside celebrating. In the time I had allotted for family formals (with a buffer), I was able to capture family, couples, bridesmaids, groomsmen, and the entire wedding party. I felt AMAZING! I jumped in the limo with the couple and headed to the reception. It was a little darker than I had hoped for once we got to the venue, but you wouldn’t have known it in their portraits. They are such a stunning couple and just radiated together!

Fast forward to 4:00am the next morning, I’m getting ready to head to the airport for my early morning flight, and I get the test. THE TEXT! Rachel was starting to have contractions! OMGoodness! That 45 minute flight was the longest of my life, but by 10:30am, I was by Rachel’s side back in California. What a whirl wind of a weekend, absolutely wonderful, and one I will never ever forget.

Congratulations Walker and Molly!!!