The Gehmans | Photography Blog

This weekend was a real pleasure for me, as I watched one of my best friends and band mates get married. Nevin and I have been playing music together for 7 years or so now, and he was the last of the 4 of us to get married. So, congrats pal!

But over the course of a week or two, Jodi and I worked with Nevin and Natalie to produce something extra special for them… an Engagement film.  You’ll be hearing two songs in the film, both of which were written by Nevin for Natalie, the second of which was the song he sang to her when he proposed!

We have been hanging on to this video for two or three months, waiting until after the wedding to show it to you all. So, without further ado, here is Nevin and Natalie!

Engagement Motion is another area of our video work that is fairly new to The Gehmans. We’re always looking for ways to incorporate story in the images, and film is such a great tool in storytelling. We throughly enjoy hearing couple’s tell their story of who they are, how they met, and it’s so much fun to work with them creatively to capture those stories in images and film.

You too have a unique story.  We would love to help you tell it!

A couple of weeks ago, Jodi and I loaded up the kids in the minivan and headed East out of Iowa to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, my old stompin’ grounds. It was there that we met up with Gianna and Anthony for their engagement session, and we decided on the Lancaster Amtrak train station.

It was so much fun working with these two… the scenes came easy for them, and it’ll be fun to photograph their wedding in September!

It’s a special thing when two people have a connection like Nate and Janene do.  For most of their relationship they’ve had 1000 miles between them, so when they have a chance to be close… well, it came quite natural.  If you listen to their story, they really are the answer to each other’s prayers. The Lord brought them together at just the right time, and here they are!

Nate’s humor and Janene’s style set the tone for a fun session, and we’re looking forward to their wedding this Fall!

Adam and Katie Jo are the coolest.

Seriously.
We’re not the only ones who think that, either.

We have a great friend who is the Event Director at The Celebration Farm where Adam and Katie Jo’s reception will be held. We were having dinner with her, and told her we were going to photograph a couple that had booked with her. Her face lit up remembering the names, and said “Ah yes, they are the sweetest people!”  Then, as we spent the afternoon with Adam and Katie Jo, we discovered that we have a mutual friend back here in Iowa. So, I dialed him up on Facebook and told him we met his friends in Chicago, to which he replied “Adam and Katie Jo are two of my favorite people ever.” So, see? There you have it.

Adam and Katie Jo are the coolest.

We drove to Chicago to Katie Jo’s apartment and Adam took the wheel from there, which was a good thing, seeing that neither Jodi or I could a) execute an immediate u-turn as quickly as he could, or b) navigate our way through people and traffic, knowing where to turn and where to park. We ended up downtown a few places, and onto Navy Pier which was surprisingly quite “people-free”. The day was just a tad bit chilly, and apparently everyone else stayed home. :)

“Adam and Courtney…

You two are engaging and fun, with just a touch of silly… an awesome combination! ;) You have a great example of a solid relationship, one that has roots. It’s been great getting to know you both, and we look forward to the big day in July!”

Krystal and Ryan are two of the coolest people we know, and a wonderful match for each other.  Krystal is a dear friend of ours for many years now, and we were thrilled to be asked to photograph their wedding early next year. We’ve worked with a lot of couples this year with some cool stories of how they met, or were engaged, but this one is unlike any other.  You’ll see what I mean.

SO, HOW DID YOU TWO MEET?

“I, Krystal, was at the Younkers department store shopping.  It was one of those days where I just couldn’t decide on anything. I’d find two items I liked but couldn’t decide between the two. I know some people would have just thrown both in the cart and figured it out later, but I wasn’t in the mood to spend a lot and have to return half of it later. So, there I stood with yet another top in hand, holding it up to the mirror trying to make up my mind when….”

“I, Ryan, was on a mission to pick up some new cologne, and when I pulled into the mall, the store with the closest parking spot to the front door was Younkers, so in I went. Straight to the goods, I knew what I was looking for. As I stepped up to the counter I blanked and couldn’t remember what my empty cologne was called, but I knew what color the bottle was, so I grabbed the two brands with black labels and sprayed them into the air knowing I would recognize the smell easily.

That was when I saw her through the faint haze of cologne.

She was holding up two shirts to a mirror with a lost look on her face, and although it wasn’t like me at all, I put down the spray bottle and walked right up to her, my heart pounding. The first thing that came out of my mouth was ‘Baby, it doesn’t matter which you choose… you’ll look amazing in either one!’”

“I, Krystal, was amazed at the boldness…. and tacky sweetness…. of this guy. I laughed nervously and said ‘Thank you!’, grinning from ear to ear.  He then introduced himself, and we ended up talking for about an hour. Before we went our separate ways, I gave him my phone number and the rest is history!”

…. Or is it?

Images first. The rest of story comes after.

Now for the twist in the story!

The above is Ryan and Krystal’s story… but isn’t true. Not one word.

Here’s the truth:  Ryan and Krystal met on eHarmony.com.  However, one particular time when someone asked them how they met, Ryan just blurted out that they met at Younkers, and on the spot fabricated the above story. Krystal stood there, wondering what had gotten in to him and where it was going, but as he went on, she jumped right in and added her own details of the day, together formulating what has eventually become the story they now tell to everyone who asks!

***Special thanks to Matt at Younkers for letting us work in the store!

You know you have a great couple to photograph when at the end of a 2 hour session, the guy is still smiling and excited about being close to his lady! Kyle…. you’re the man. Thanks for being a good sport and rockin the bowtie.

We often ask couples what they like to do when they are spending time together, and for Kyle and Jamie it was a lot of things! Camping, fishing, and more.  So, Jodi, being the creative genius that she is, set up this DIY campsite by the river, and it looked pretty special by the time it all came together.

Part of the story of how Kyle got Jamie to go out with him is that he convinced her that he makes the best spaghetti and that she should give it a try. It must not have been too bad, because here they are planning a wedding!

“Kyle + Jamie,

We thoroughly enjoyed our time spent with you two! You are a special couple, and it’s clear that you enjoy life by the way the laughs come easy.  We look forward to your wedding next year, and wish you the best as you plan for the big day!”

JJ and Michelle,

Jodi and I really had a wonderful evening working with you and are thankful that our paths crossed!  It’s fun to work with couples that find the “intimate moments” easy, and we could see that your connection is much deeper than what meets the eye. We are looking forward to your wedding, and wish you all the best as you plan!

On a super hot, humid, muggy evening a few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of working with Wes and Emily at  the Cedar Ridge Vineyards!  They were a wonderful couple to work with and one that makes our job easy. They have a very easy-going style and had great attitudes about woking in the heat… especially Wes, sporting a vest and a tie!  Kudos to you, man!

Jodi and I love to hear the stories of how boy met girl and fell in love, and every couple has a unique set of circumstance that led them to each other.  As you may have noticed, recently here on the blog we’ve been featuring those stories to go along with the images.

THE STORY OF WESTON AND EMILY

“Weston and Emily met on the street in front of an Asian restaurant on St. Marks in New York City in Fall, 2005.  They had both recently moved to the city. Emily knew exactly one person, Paul Syracuse, and Wes knew approximately one person, a close friend from high school, Mr. Reid Levin. Luckily for Emily and Wes, Reid and Paul were also good friends and writing partners. Since Emily and Wes only knew one person each, when Paul and Reid got together to talk over some skits, Emily and Wes were in tow.  Emily and Paul quickly determined that Emily and Wes were going to have a secret wedding and approximately one million babies!

Finally, Emily and Wes began a non-imaginary and long courtship.  He very sneakily purchased a beautiful engagement ring and surprised Emily with a proposal while on a hike in Colorado on August 8, 2010.

Unfortunately, Emily does not remember what Wes said. Not even a little bit. You see, just before the engagement, they were having an extremely important argument regarding the presence or non-presence of rattlesnakes and Emily was under the false impression that Wes was grumpily eating a cookie. She did, however, take the ring, and while she forgot to say yes or no, she was impressed by its beauty and shininess and the fact that Wes had picked it out all on his own.

Wes held onto that ring with a grip of steel and wouldn’t hand it over until Emily remembered her manners and said, “Yes!” The lovebirds then celebrated with a bottle of champagne, Jimmy Johns, and trivia at the Tavern with Wes’s family and Reid and his family.”

Ben and Julie met at the local Aquatic Center while doing what they love best – spending time with kids. It was a youth group event and Julie was the new person in charge. Ben was volunteering as he had been for several years, and was keeping a close eye on his new leader. Though they both were attracted to each other, it was not love at first sight. Julie was keen on committing her time to her new job, not to one of her coworkers – and one of Ben’s first memories of her was listening to her frightened shriek as she slid down the slide called the “Toilet Bowl”. It would be a few more weeks – when Ben saw her walking through the halls of Heritage Christian School, where he is a teacher, to tutor students in Spanish – that he knew God was giving him a hint to pursue her.

Keep reading after the images for the short version of their proposal story!

THE PROPOSAL
Ben and Julie’s proposal story took place in Orlando at the Princess Castle after they had each completed the Disney half-marathon. After a lovely dinner that almost didn’t happen, they made their way to the fireworks show where Ben had Julie’s parents in on the action too – specifically to save Julie and him good seats for the show and to place something under Ben’s seat. When the show was about to begin, Ben began telling Julie that all the sights of the Princesses had gotten him thinking about a quote on her Facebook that said, “One day my Prince will come.” And he said that he wanted to be her prince, and he listed many things about her that convinced him so, but he then said that there was one thing that was holding him back. He paused for effect. He pulled a glass slipper out from under his seat and said, “I need to know if you fit this glass slipper.” By then a small crowd had gathered, and Julie proudly fit her foot into the slipper. It fit! The crowd rejoiced as Ben knelt and reached for the ring he had kept in his pocket throughout the long ordeal. But the ring had slipped from its spot in the box. For a moment, he thought it was gone. But it was there, unhinged from its proper spot, but unharmed. He was then free to ask The Question. She said ,”Of course! Yes!” and they embraced for their first kiss. In the applause that followed a mother told her son, “That is how it’s done!”, and the fireworks soon burst over the castle!

Way to go, Ben! You only get to propose to your lovely lady once, so why not make it memorable, right?! Awesome job! Let’s go guys, keep wowing your ladies with clever planning and romantic proposals… she will love you for it!