Whitewater Family Wedding

Wedding of Kaisha and Jon in the Whitewater Family

My earliest memories of Kaisha are her and her brother Braden, hanging out in the parking lot of Mountain River Tours. Kaisha’s father, Bruce was a fixture at that rafting company. I don’t know when he trained or how long he’d been there before I got there in 1997, but he had been there for a while.

The parking lot of Mountain River Tours, affectionately known as MRT (pronounced “Mert”) was a unique place. It’s where the raft guides hung out in the evening after their rafting trip video had been played. In the East end of the parking lot were some large pine trees. There were various campers and tents hidden within the branches of those trees. The Pines, it was called.

Bruce and his wife Kelly had a pop-up camper embedded in the pines. I had a tent on a platform. Bruce and Kelly drive in from Wheeling for the weekends. I remember Braden and Kaisha bopping around the parking lot when they were children. Look at them now.

The Wedding Family Picture. Kaisha, Jon, the wedding party, including Bruce and Kelly.

It’s an honor to be the photographer at a wedding such as this. To people outside the whitewater world, it’s difficult to explain the “family” feeling of, not just working together, but living to be a part of something. Something fun, something big. It’s really about how we choose to spend our time on this Earth. That’s really what it comes down to. The choices we make and the things we do with our time. People in the whitewater community have chosen to spend their time having fun outdoors. Not just that, but showing other people a fun time in the outdoors. That’s the bond that brings us together.

Certainly, I will blog more about the whitewater lifestyle in future blogs, this just happens to be a contingent part of this wedding.

Earlier in the week, we did an engagement shoot. One reason I like to include an engagement shoot in my wedding packages is that it gives the bride and groom an opportunity to practice posing in front of the camera. It gives me an opportunity to work with them and get a feel for their comfort level in front of the camera and work on any aspects that might help them pose easier if need be.

Engagement Photo of Kaisha and Jon at Beauty Mountain, New River Gorge, WV

The wedding itself was a lot of fun. The ceremony was held at Burnwood. What a great place for an outdoor wedding. I saw a lot of MRT (don’t forget, say it like “Mert”) friends there and it was pretty darn awesome.

Wedding Portrait of Kaisha and Jon at Burnwood, New River Gorge, Fayetteville, WV

One of the highlights of the ceremony was when they announced that they are expecting! Jon whips out a roll of ultrasound pictures right after the “announcement of husband, bride, and baby.” It was awesome. That’s how we make a big announcement in the whitewater world.

Wedding Ceremony of Kaisha and Jon. Out comes the big announcement!

Lots more photos to come of this beautiful event! We had toasts, food, friends and fun. Oh, and a sparkler send-off to boot! Complete with footy-pajamas for the little ones.