It’s finally time to share one of the top two weddings that hold the record of making me teary eyed from both laughter & a full heart–the sweet wedding of Elise & Isaac!
Perhaps you remember them from their engagement blog last year, but if not, that’s okay! All you need to know is that I met Elise through a mutual good friend from high school’s bridal shower! We both sat at a table together, quickly laughed over similar things and then ended up getting Jane (said good friend) the same bridal shower gift! Haha! Jane even thought Elise’s gift bag was from me because it was one that I would have picked out (with a giraffe on it, naturally)!
Anywho, I was super thankful to have met Elise during this day, because once she got engaged to a great man named Isaac, she ended up adding me on facebook a couple years later asking me if I’d like to be their photographer! We all hit it off instantly during their engagement session, and I knew that this couple was going to be so much fun! Elise’s own personal posts & Instastories always have me cracking up, and are also thought provoking. It’s encouraging seeing their relationship and how Jesus is glorified through it!
Now, I’m getting ahead of myself! Maybe you’re wondering why they’re so great? Well first of all, I love how honest they are, and how open they are to sharing their stories with me! Second, it fills my heart with joy to see how they pursue the Lord together. And third, it’s easy to make me laugh, but I think couples who naturally can make themselves & others laugh are awesome! :) Stay tuned ahead because they shared some honest things that I found encouraging and hope you find encouraging as well!
Isaac & Elise got married on a beautifully weathered day! I remember the sky being so blue! It was also nice that it wasn’t a super hot day, like most days in California! They got married at the church they met in–Berean Community Church in Irvine, and they got ready in (beautiful) homes nearby!
The girls’ getting ready spot was filled with music, laughter & so much fun! While Elise & her girls got ready at her & Isaac’s first home, Isaac got ready with his guys in his parent’s beautifully landscaped pool house. When John & I stepped in, we were literally in awe!
Before Elise even saw, she began to tear up a little! Which, of course, began the flow of tears that swelled up in my own. They began their day together in worshipping God, not only with themselves, but with their bridal party close by to worship alongside of them. Elise’s words about this time? “Pretty epic. And emotional.” Yup. I agree. It was beautiful.
I asked Isaac how he felt when he first saw Elise & his answer was so sweet. “At our first look, I felt a deep gratitude and excitement that I could soon call this lovely beautiful woman my wife.” It’s such a sincere statement that I think you can truly see even in his eyes as he looked at Elise!
& I think you see the excitement in Elise’s expressions! She shared that she felt “pree chills.”
Now I asked these two how they each felt they had grown since the beginning of their dating relationship, and they were both pretty transparent about it, which I truly appreciate!
“My personality is one that is very blunt, opinionated, and outspoken. My husband is reeeally quiet because he doesn’t like to ruffle feathers. With that said, it’s been hard for me to be more submissive and give him opportunities to lead our family. Sometimes I feel like I lead the family. It’s not because Isaac neglects to but it’s because I’m just more forceful LOL. There were times in the beginning where I’d disagree with his decisions and just word-battle my way through. I had to learn that “ugh okay fine do what you want” is not submissive and is actually reluctant. I’ve grown in a way to support his decisions and not just let them be. It’s challenging but I see the good in it— how it’s good for me and for him.
Isaac’s grown in the way he communicates. IT’S NOT PERFECT because he is probably the most passive/passive aggressive person I’ve ever met… nor does he have any “nunchi” (korean for awareness) lol. He can be aloof and I hate having to spell out how he hurt me or why I’m feeling a certain way— why can’t he just get it?! But he’s grown a lot through various instances. We’re both still learning :)” // Elise
Haha John & I also struggled with communication. I had to learn a lot that I need to be better about communicating clearly how I feel, and he’s worked on trying to be more sensitive to my needs, too! :) Isaac shared another way he felt that they had grown!
“As I reflect on our journey together from the beginning until now, we have grown to cherish one another. Not just to accept, as to be tolerant, but to treasure the whole partner.” // Isaac
“Isaac does everything and anything without complaining. It’s incredible. He’s always doing the dishes, taking out the trash without being being told, vacuuming, tidying up… yeah. He also always tells me I’m beautiful even with horrible skin conditions and when my self esteem is at it’s all time lows. And he smothers me with a bunch of little kisses all over my face before he leaves to work (I’m usually still sleeping). To this day he opens the car door for me without fail. When we’re out with a lot of people and we make eye contact, he gives me a nod. It’s silly but I don’t know, it’s Isaac.” // Elise
“I appreciate [Elise’s] consistent and loving support when I feel weak and discouraged, and not a day goes by where I don’t receive fresh affections from her. She’s wonderful.” // Isaac
It was sweet getting to hang out with Elise, Isaac and their bridal party! Seeing the groomsmen so excited when they saw Elise, the girls happy to see Isaac, & all of them so enthusiastic over their big day was a sweet testimony of just how much support Elise & Isaac had going into their marriage. :)
As we parted from the beautiful backyard of Isaac’s parents, we made our way to Berean Community Church, which transformed its main sanctuary into the ceremony & reception hall! It was amazing to see all the efforts Elise & Isaac’s friends put into making their wedding day so special!
“I’m being completely honest here when I say that when I walked down the aisle, it looked like a jungle. I was whatever about how everything turned out. It wasn’t what I always wanted but it also wasn’t bad at all. I had very little idea of what the flower arrangements would end up like, how the food table would be decorated, etc. I just had ton of friends do DIY things that were kick-butt. It was a cross between rustic and.. elegant? Like I never signed up to have candles at my wedding but there were a ton of them. And I think I saw a chandelier on the wooden arch we got married under. Whaaaat…!
More than anything Isaac and I wanted our friends and family to hear the good news that is Jesus Christ, who came down as God in the form of man to take on our sins and rise from the dead to defeat the curse of sin/death so that we could be right with God again. We wanted our wedding to really speak about God’s work in our lives and how He will come again to take his bride, the church, home.” // Elise
And intentional, it was! Their day was covered in prayer by their loved ones, and it was something sweet to see & hear. :)
Cue a teary eyed Margarette as I photographed a beaming, & also teary eyed Isaac watch his beautiful bride walk down the isle.
“Each moment throughout the wedding day was memorable in its own way, but I remember most just being in awe to marry to the girl of my dreams. I anticipated our wedding for a long time, and it was surreal to have the day finally arrive.”
And this is another moment in their ceremony where tears seemed to just overflow. Watching Isaac tear up before his parents as they came down and gave their appreciation and hugs was just so touching!
It was truly such a joy to see them pronounced husband & wife! :)
The reception that followed continued their joyous celebration of their wedding! I loved their fun programs and small personalized touches! One thing that I loved about their wedding was how much of “themselves” was put into the activities of their day! Including, their fun grand entrance that had me cracking up!
Their funny first dance ended on a sweet note, followed by prayer & a Korean buffet that was delicious.
Isaac & Elise opened up the time of speeches with a sincere thanks to those who came & those who helped. They also made sure to share the good news of Jesus with their guests, wanting the gift of salvation & the work of Christ in their lives to be a main message they wanted to get across!
The time of speeches was notably one of Isaac’s favorite memories of their wedding day.
“My favorite part of the wedding was listening to the speeches our friends gave during the reception. I was moved by their words of encouragement and support for me and Elise, and I will always be thankful for them and their part in our lives.“
I will also have it noted that I teared up from both laughter & sincerity during their friend’s speeches as well! They were so good! Just seeing all their loved ones together in one place was what filled Elise with joy!
“Never again will that ever happen, you know? I was told that my wedding would be the only time for that— not even at my funeral! LOL :(” // Elise
Instead of cake, they shared a pie as their first “cut” & opened up their dessert bar that had so many tasty treats, including one of their favorite ice creams! These sweet treats also opened up the rest of the night to a whole lot of fun & celebration!
Instead of a dance floor, Isaac & Elise had a couple fun arcade games brought in to help celebrate the end of their night! The biggest feature was seeing Isaac work the DDR! I was definitely personally in shock!
He’s so good at it that Elise proudly called over her father to see his new son-in-law in his element! Haha!
CONGRATULATIONS ELISE & ISAAC!! :)
John & I were so encouraged by your wedding, and we are so excited for you to continue on in marriage!!!
Now before I end their blog, I do want to share the nuggets they shared I couldn’t find a home for in my blog above! I asked them what they have learned about themselves so far in their marriage & their answers were pretty similar. In fact, it’s pretty similar of a realization that I’ve talked about with other married couples as well. I appreciate their willingness to share this with the rest of you for the benefit of insight for those of you looking to date or about to be married soon!
“I expect a lot from Isaac. I expect him to take care of me 100%, which in other words means I’m very irresponsible and very immature (Ex: I hate gong to the post office by myself so I always ask him to drop things off— but a couple weeks ago I returned something on my own, so.. progress, y’all.). I don’t think expecting things from my husband is a bad thing, but it’s with what heart and from where I expect those things. I can’t be lazy and neglect my part of the relationship which is to serve him, support him, love him. I can easily forget to do those things when I feel he hasn’t met his own quota. Pretty much, I’ve learned how selfish I am and can say for certain I’m still not “ready” for marriage.” // Elise
“It is not something new, but it has become more apparent that I tend to do things out of selfish ambition and vain conceit. In pride I value myself more than Elise, looking to my own interests and not to hers. Is there a Bible verse that addresses that?” // Isaac (He’s talking about Philippians 2:3-4) ;)
Now let me explain in case it seems kind of confusing to some of you. Marriage is wonderful, but while it does bring out some of the best in you, it also brings out some of the worst. But in a refining way that challenges us to see aspects of ourselves that aren’t so “great” & learning how to seek Christ & die to our selfish natures to do whatever is right for us. Honestly, talking with other wives (it’s been pretty unanimous), I don’t think any of us realized how selfish we could be until we got married, and it seems to be a constant refining process of learning how to love more like how Jesus loved us. It’s a decision you make each day to cast away your sin in light of Jesus’ sacrifice & putting on love and righteousness. I like how Isaac put it.
“Married life has been the best. I’m so incredibly thankful I get to live life with my best friend. We often hear that marriage is sanctifying, and it’s true. There are the ongoing challenges of dying to ourselves and loving the other. I buy into the lie that I won’t be happy unless I have it my way. As God teaches me to surrender that sort of pride and rather love and serve as Christ does, I find a much greater peace and satisfaction in making Elise’s joy my own. It’s been a wonderful start to this journey, and I look forward to spend our lives together.” // Isaac
I love Elise’s take on how married life has been, too!
“I’ve been telling people it’s “whatever” but what i mean by that is… it’s amazing. I wish I got married to Isaac since day 1. We cuddle every night when sleeping and we always talk about what God has been teaching us or what we can do to live out what we read and are convicted by through scripture. It’s so cool being married to this dude, I’m seriously so lucky. But married life is not too amazing that I would choose it over Jesus. I don’t know if that’s cliche or “ruins this”, but I’ve been reassured that there is truly none but Jesus.“
Elise & Isaac’s wedding had some challenges as they had to accommodate different “needs” & desires other than their own for their special day, but Elise shared that her parents encouraged her to learn how to let go of the “let-go-able”, which truly helped her to press on in planning! So lastly, some words of advice for those of you who are wedding planning from these two:
“Enjoy it!!! Get your friends involved. It makes them feel special but also it was such a blessing that my church family was supportive in that way. Also, don’t be so picky that you lose sight of what the wedding day is about. It’s easy to get caught up in the small details and get upset when things don’t pan out the way you expected them to, but it’s going to be awesome. truuuust.” // Elise
“It seems counterintuitive to experience everything but joy during the planning process for a day marked by that very essence. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. The imperative to rejoice is often hard to follow, especially when circumstances don’t go as planned. Persist to rejoice anyway, as God may not be as concerned with the folding pattern of a table napkin as He is with our heart and attitude throughout the process.” // Isaac
HAPPY ALMOST FRIDAY, everyone!! :)
Hair & Makeup // Studio MM&B