On October 3, these two love birds were married and it was the most wonderful thing 😀 :D.

The Lord truly blessed the day: the weather was balmy, the sun was bright, and joy and love were abundant 🙂 :).

So, here is Samuel and Lydia’s glorious wedding day 😀 :D.

Their rings were so classically stunning!! Loved them :).

Her colors of coral, cream, and grey were perfect for the fall/still-hanging-on-to-summer day :D.

And here is the effortlessly lovely bride herself 🙂 :). Lydia was so calm and kind and I’m so happy to have made a new friend in her :). And all of her friends and family! I felt so at home with everyone, when Samuel and Lydia drove away, I didn’t want to leave!! Haha :D. That’s what happens when you meet more of your spiritual family you didn’t know before: you have an eternal bond through Christ, being His children, and it’s such an incredible thing 🙂 :).

The whole day took place at Samuel and Lydia’s church, Rockwall Bible Church, which is where they first met! 😀 Samuel’s dad is the pastor :D.

Lydia is one of 13 siblings (most of them being her sisters who were her bridesmaids) and was happily surrounded by them as she got ready for the day :D. And she was not bothered in the slightest when her little brother popped up and said “look through this!” Hehe :D.

This giant chalkboard was for anyone and everyone to write something encouraging, a verse, or just congratulations to the bride and groom! The family got first dibs during the lunch break. Hehe :D. Don’t you love the tree?!

Look at her sweet, loving face 😀 :D.

She’s just adorable :D.

Then it was time for me to see the guys!

Samuel shares the same kindness and easy goingness Lydia has and it’s just so refreshing :D. Another new friend :D.

And his groomsmen were no different! Samuel has chosen his friends well :). Well, he didn’t choose his brothers (the two to his right), but family genes you know, they’re great. Hehe :D. Loved their grey suits, by the way! Samuel was so impressed with how it turned out ’cause he just told them to wear grey, and they all ended up matching almost perfectly! 😀

Ok, I just have to take a moment to express how fantastic this little grove by the pond was. It made SUCH a unique and awesome background and it just delighted my photographer heart 😀 :D.

Samuel and his merry men :D.

Great job, y’all :).

Now for introductions! We start with Hayden Deverill :).

(and thanks to my Mom coming and assisting, she got these fun shots of each grooms men :D)

More fun pictures as they wait their turn. Hehe 😀

One of Lydia’s brothers: Daniel Neds :D.

Haha 😀

Another friend: Khampha Kongbounmee 🙂

Samuel’s older brother (who just married one of Lydia’s sisters this year! :D) and best man: Jonathan Smith :D.

And his younger brother: Elisha Smith :D.

Then another friend: Chris Jarrett :D.

Haha, and then another of Lydia’s brothers: Seth Neds :D.

Mr. Samuel Smith, the groom :D.

Nice one, Samuel!

And the award for most creative and in sync jumpers goes to…Hahaha :D.

Then it was time to head back inside…

…so I could check on the girls! 😀

Wedding dress time!! 😀

Yay 😀

Love, love, love :D. Lydia, you were such a sweet bride :D.

Samuel’s mother came in to see her :D.

Precious :).

The adorable flower girls! 😀

Time for their portraits! 😀

😀

Such a lovely group of women :D. And they’re all related or connected in a special way 🙂

These little ones are very dear to her heart :).

Love 🙂

This is on of her little sisters: Karis Neds :).

Princess 🙂

😀

And this is Lainey Clayton! Lydia babysat her and her older sister for a long time :).

And this is Lainey’s older sister! Lauren Clayton 😀

And allll of her bridesmaids are sisters of hers!! 😀 (Well, one is Samuel’s little sister, but she’s a sister in law! Hehe :D). It was such an encouraging thing to see someone have so many sisters and get along with them so well :). They’re true, lifelong friends who know each other better than anyone :). And even though I never had a sister, God has given me the closest thing to sisters in +Amanda Bowles and +Allix Ruby, so I have an idea of what it’s like :). Aren’t they beautiful?!! Their smiles, their hair, looking lovely in coral and white: hooray 😀

😀

Happy 😀

This is her new little sister in law: Martha Smith 😀

And of course, the rest are her sisters :). We start with Faith Neds :D.

Then there’s Julia Neds :D.

😀

And this is the sister Samuel’s older brother Jonathan married earlier this year! Hannah Smith :D. So fun :D.

And this is another one of her married sisters: Sandra Case :).

And another married sister: Rebekah Gaspar :D.

Sister and maid of honor: Esther Neds 😀

And last but not least: Rachel Neds :D. Great name. Hehe ;D

The bride 😀

This necklace was a gift from Samuel :). It was perfect for her :).

So captivating :).

Lydia’s choice of colors and flowers reflected her so well 🙂 :).

Love it 😀

Lovely lovely 🙂

😀

Had to get a couple shots with her mom :). Beautiful :).

Getting closer to time!! 😀

So happy I got to capture this moment of the men praying for Samuel :). Couldn’t go in, but the little window in the door was perfect ;).

One of Lydia’s grandfathers. So sweet 😀 :D.

Samuel and Lydia wanted to wait and see each other when she walked down the aisle, but we asked if they’d like to hold hands and talk before the ceremony, and they said ok. Hehe :). And turns out (as you can see) Lydia was able to see some of Samuel’s face, Haha, but she was still a surprise to him later ;).

They prayed together before they parted to be rejoined at the altar never to be parted again 🙂 🙂 <3.

The guests were arriving! The time was nigh! 😀

The happy greeters :D.

All of Lydia’s family hid with Lydia from the guests until it was time to start :).

Isn’t the wood ceiling beautiful?! So bright and cheery :D. And leading lines, for the win! Haha :D. Photography joke ;).

Lining up in the back! 😀

Two of Lydia’s little brothers were the ring-bearers: David and Joshua Neds 😀

Almost ready to come down :).

🙂 🙂

Samuel’s father, Dr. Ed Smith, married them :).

Lydia’s family sang this song and all of their voices together was so beautiful.

🙂

Cutie 🙂

There’s me. Hehe :).

🙂 🙂

Then Lydia’s dad lead us all in singing “How Great Thou Art.” (I say “us all” because I sing too when I know the words. Hehe 🙂 ).

Vow time 😀 😀

Then…

…her sister Rebekah’s husband, Pablo Gaspar, sang “Be Unto Your Name” :).

Then they had a time of prayer before they were announced husband and wife :).

Hooray 🙂 🙂

See? Leading lines 😉

Mr. and Mrs…

…Samuel and Lydia Smith 😀 😀

Happy happy day 😀 😀

Their reception was simple and sweet :).

Popcorn, punch, apple slices, caramel for dipping: so simple and yet so brilliant!!

But we had family portraits to do. Haha :D.

Then it was time to head back to the fantastic grove for more pictures :D.

😀 😀

They’re just so adorable <3

Loving looks as we wait for the rest of the wedding party to arrive. Hehe :).

Great looking group of friends :D.

And of course… 😉

😀

Favorite 🙂

🙂

And before they all left us…

…had to get a picture of the brothers :D.

And THEN it was time for the new man and wife 🙂 🙂 <3. Words will fail me quite often from here on out because they were just the dreamiest 😀 😀 !!

Oh, man, I just…aaaaaaah!! See what I mean?? I just…can’t. Haha.

Samuel is so gentle with her and completely sweeps her off her feet (literally, you’ll see later. Haha).

Hey! Let’s read their love story now! Good time I think. Hehe :).

In Lydia’s words… 🙂

“Samuel and I have actually only known of eachother for about 2 years. His dad came to be the senior pastor at RBC. I remember seeing Samuel for the first time, but neither of us can remember when we actually met. Haha 😛 He is in the Army and stationed at Fort Hood, so he would only drive up to Rockwall about once a month to see his family, and then after a while he started coming up every weekend, so I got to see more of him :). But we weren’t even really friends. I just thought he seemed like a pretty awesome guy, but we never really talked. 

So then in May or June, unbeknownst to me, Samuel asked my dad about getting to know me better, not like start dating, but just to be able to email and spend some time together. My dad decided that he wanted to get to know Samuel better first, so they started spending some time together every other weekend. Poor Samuel had to wait for quite a while poor guy. Haha :). My dad is pretty protective. So finally last August he got the ok and then actually my dad asked me if I would be interested in getting to know Samuel better. So we started emailing and spending time together on the weekends whenever he was in town. Then in October he found out that he was being deployed to Liberia to help with the Ebola outbreak. He’s an engineer, so he’d be helping build medical facilities. At first they were saying it could be 9-12 months, so we both realized that we should talk about our relationship, before he left, so we started ‘officially’ dating on October 25th :). And he left about 2 weeks later. Praise the Lord we were able to talk on the phone and email while he was over there, both of which we had thought we might not be able to do. And then God answered more prayers and he got to come back in January, instead of staying there till the summer, which was amazing! So then since then we just continued to get to know eachother better and then really start to love eachother. It has been so amazing! Sometimes I’m like, wow. Is this actually real life?! God has been so kind to me! So on May 25th Samuel told me he loved me and asked me to marry him and I said yes! :D”

God made Samuel for Lydia and Lydia for Samuel 🙂. Their love is so evident and it makes my heart rejoice 🙂 :).

Dream come true 🙂 :). Oh, man <3.

I asked Lydia to tell me about Samuel and her love for him :)…

“Samuel is a super Godly and intelligent man. One of the first things I noticed about him was how handsome he is. Haha :). But also his kindness and friendliness to people at church (I met him at our church). I was also impressed by his skill on the violin :). Another thing I noticed early on was the good relationship he had with his family, and also the fact that he was not flirty with girls. Oh and also that he was willing to serve in different areas, like with church construction projects or teaching guys classes. 

I love all those things about Samuel, but as I’ve gotten to know him better, I’ve discovered so many more things I love about him! 🙂 He’s very deliberate in what he does and he’s so good at planning ahead and thinking things out. Oh also something I forgot to put earlier is that he has a clear direction for what he believes the Lord would have him do with his life, which I think is so awesome! He has already been a great spiritual leader, keeping me accountable with Bible study and Scripture memory.

 I love his personality. He’s a super good listener, he is a perfect gentleman, very gentle and caring, so much fun to hang out with! He has helped me to think through lots of different issues, and talked through them with me. He’s very considerate. He is concerned about people’s spiritual well being. He is a great example to me of witnessing to and discipling others. I know for sure that he loves the Lord and wants to live for Him :).”

I asked Samuel the same thing about Lydia :)…

“Lydia is one of the happiest and most beautiful people you will ever meet. One of the first things I noticed about her was her lady-likeness: her feminine elegance and grace in how she spoke, dressed, and carried herself. Perhaps because I am in the military and am around women soldiers who do not emphasize their femininity in the workplace. This quality in her especially stood out to me and attracted me to her. Along those same lines, I love that she has embraced God’s calling on her life to be a wife and mother and also appreciates my efforts to treat her like a lady. Another thing that I love about Lydia is her wonderful personality. I have never met anyone with such an amazing combination of friendliness balanced with her quiet and shy streak. She also has a spark of spunk that shows itself occasionally and she is one of the happiest and most humble people I have ever known. I love being with her! I also love and respect her for her diligence and competence in pretty much any task that she sets her mind to. It’s a blessing to be marrying someone that I can confidently depend on. The first time I remember seeing Lydia was when she was playing piano for a Christmas music program at our church and I was very impressed by her musical gifts that day and every time I have heard her play the piano, flute, or sing since. Like I already said, she has been blessed with great beauty-her appearance and personality are irresistibly attractive to me. Finally, and most importantly, Lydia’s love and fear of the Lord and His Word are what convinced me that she was the one that God wanted me to love and commit myself to. Her faithfulness to study and memorize Scripture and pray with and for me has encouraged me in my walk with God and her desire to use her gifts to serve the Lord shows her love for Him.”

I also asked them what were some of their favorite things to do together 🙂

“We usually only get to see each other on the weekends since Samuel is stationed at Fort Hood and I’m in Rockwall, so just being together is our favorite! 🙂 But here’s some of the things we enjoy doing together…

Going on walks together
Talking in person especially, but on the phone too or facetiming 🙂
Running together
Hanging out with our families
Reading out loud to each other 
Quoting Scripture together and praying together
Riding bikes
Playing games (Samuel generally wins :P)
Playing music together
Having picnics :)”

Me: “Y’all can just go right there and do whatever y’all want. I’m just gonna take pictures over here through the limbs.”
Samuel: “Well, this is our first time to kiss.”
Me: “Oh! Yeah! Go for it!”

Hahaha. They made my job incredibly easy ;).

Complete. Romantic. Delight 😀 😀 :D. The best 😀 😀

Oh <3 <3 <3

Just this whole song <3 <3 🙂 🙂

So beautiful <3

🙂 🙂

Ooooh, the way they looked into each others eyes <3 <3 <3. I was captivated by their love. And I got to photograph it!! What a privilege and joy!! This is what it’s all about, folks 🙂 🙂 <3.

🙂 🙂

😀

Hehe 😀

Someone from a BBC movie: “Don’t they look well together!” Hehe :).

I cannot wait to see how their life unfolds :). Don’t they just look so at home? 🙂 🙂

There I am in the corner ;).

🙂

See? I told you he literally sweeps her off her feet. Hehe :D. And he did personally ask if he could pick her up. Hehe :D. Best idea of the day, Samuel :D.

Yaaaaaaay 😀

Then Samuel asked: “Can we do an ‘almost kissing’ picture?” 

Well, sure!! Haha.

Nailed it <3 <3. And look at the faint rainbow going across!! God is good 😀 😀 (and won’t flood the earth again. Haha)

But of course they had to actually kiss too ;D.

Samuel, God has given you one stunning woman. Wow :D. And she feels the same about the man God’s given her ;).

Our enchanting time was done and it was time to join the reception :).

They had lots of time to talk with their friends and family who came for their day :D.

Sweet and simple: perfect for them :D.

Like I said earlier, I thoroughly approved of their food choices 😀 :D.

More verses and congratulations were added to the chalkboard :D. Their guests had great handwriting, by the way! Mine was not so great. Haha. I’ll blame it on the chalk ;).

And I loved all the art people added too! Yay for creative friends! 😀

Hehe 🙂

Forget the cake. Haha.

And I only noticed when I was editing this picture that that guy is wearing a tie that looks like the 4th Doctor’s scarf!!! How did I not notice?! Haha (Whovian, for those who don’t know. Hello! Hehe :D)

The maid of honor and best man gave speeches :D.

Look at them 😀 :D.

They are loved 😀

Some last minute additions to the board. Hehe :D.

It was time to head outside and get ready to send them off! 😀

😀

😀 😀

Time to pick her up again! Haha 😀

Perfect 😀

😀 😀

Their car had been thoroughly decked out, so they had to cut their way in. Haha.

The ziploc bag retrieved from the hood of the car was labeled “Tracks for honeymoon.” Haha

The beginning 😀

And off they went to Hawaii 😀 :D.

Samuel, Lydia, I’m so happy it worked out for me to photograph y’all’s wedding day; it was such a blessing 😀 :D. Happy happy marriage, my new friends!! 😀

With a smile,

{ Rachel Leigh }