THE STEVENSON LOVE STORY
I asked my sweet sweet bride and now amazing friend, Bre Stevenson to tell us a little about her love story. From the moment I met Alex and Bre, not only could I see their love, I could FEEL it! This is reason one million I love what I do so much. I am always on the go, so I read this beautifully written story and cried like a baby in the airport!!! Honestly, being a wedding photographer is kinda a part of me now, and stories like this will let you all see why! I knew their special story had to be shared with the world, so here it is!
I’m pretty sure everyone loves a good love story. You know, the Nicholas Spark book type of love. I remember when I was a little girl, I often wondered what my love story would be like. Whom I would grow up to marry, where we would meet, where we’d get married, how our first kiss would go (okay… you get the point). Now, looking back, I can’t help but laugh because our love story is so different from what I dreamed it would be as a child… It’s even better.
Alex and I met during my junior year of high school, his senior year. Well… technically we grew up together and never really realized it. We were raised in the same small town, went to the same school, and our families even knew each other well. Honestly, we should’ve started talking way before we ever did. It’s so weird looking back now, remembering the days I would pass him in the hallways walking to class, not even realizing that boy would be my future husband! Crazy right?!
Fast-forward to September 24, 2016. The day of our school’s homecoming dance. Did I want to go? Not at all. Would I have much rather sat at home in my pajamas? Absolutely! Little did I know that would be the night the love story I always dreamed about would become reality. (Grab the wine this is a long one lol) I remember it as if it was yesterday. My best friend came to my house once we were ready so we could take pictures. She was already in a serious relationship. While they were at my house, Alex’s name was brought up several times. “Bre he would be so good for you” “He is such a good guy”. I just shook my head because I seriously thought he would never acknowledge me. I mean heck we went all through school together and had never spoken a SINGLE word to one another. Anyway… back to the dance. My date acted like I didn’t even exist. I was embarrassed and heartbroken because all of my friends were in relationships and were slow dancing. So I went to a random table, sat down, and ate a cupcake… because cake makes everything better, right? (This is where it gets good) At that moment I felt a peck on my shoulder. I turned around and at that moment I never dreamed that guy standing there asking me to dance would be the man I ended up marrying.
From that point on, I just knew there was something different about him, I could feel it. As crush said in the movie Finding Dory, “Well, you never really know, but when they know, you know, y’know?”. As months passed, we grew closer and closer. This may be hard to believe, but there was never a day that passed that we didn’t see each other. We did everything together. We even saved our money while in high school to buy our sweet dog, Daisy. With each of those passing days, all I could ever think about was the moment he would get down on one knee and ask me to spend the rest of his life with him. Two years later, we planned a beach trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama. What I thought would be just another family vacation turned into much more than that. We planned to take family photos on the beach one day, as we did every year. As I was getting ready in the hotel room I had no clue that in a matter of minutes, 07.20.2018 would be the day I said “YES!” While we were taking pictures, I noticed a shiny, glass bottle with a note inside sticking out of the sands beneath my feet. As I reach down to pick it up, “I love you” was written on it. I quickly took the cork out of the bottle and began to unravel the paper (I honestly thought I had found a “message in a bottle” as you see in movies). When I opened the note, “Will you marry Me?” was written, I turned around and then saw my best friend down on one knee. Before he could hardly say a word, I instantly said yes! Everyone knows how engagements go… Once that ring was on my finger, I immediately wanted to start wedding planning. Although we were both overwhelmed with excitement, we knew the best decision was to wait until we both graduated from college before taking our relationship to the next level.
Throughout the following two years, life happened. Do you know how you think you’ve gotten it all figured out and everything’s going to happen exactly how you have planned in your head? Sometimes you encounter unexpected obstacles that can turn everything around. We both learned God’s plans are much bigger than ours and everything will work out how it’s supposed to, even if we don’t feel like it at that moment. Long story short, these couple of years were full of so many blessings. Alex graduated from PTA school, we moved into our home, and I got a wonderful job offer as a pharmacy tech at our local pharmacy (Total Pharmacy Care) that is not even a minute away from our house. Once we realized we were steady on our feet, we knew it was officially time to begin planning the biggest day of our lives. It was then 2020. The year that COVID-19 put a stop to so many things in our world. Neither of us had no idea what to do. We did know that we didn’t want to put our marriage on hold any longer. We were ready to say, “I do.” We had so many thoughts… “Should we just elope” “Should we wait until the pandemic is over” “What if our families can’t be there” “Where will we get married” and the most important question “Who will be our photographer”…
“Who will be our wedding photographer?” To me, this is the most important question. If you’re a bride, then you understand completely. Your photographer is such a big part of your day. They are with you on the most special day of your life from start to end. They’re responsible for capturing the most special moments in your life. It takes a pretty astounding person to do this and achieve it beyond your expectations. After being recommended so many great photographers, one stood out to me. Katie Micha Photography. I stalked her Instagram and was amazed by her work. We had already decided on our location at the most stunning chapel at Pine Mountain Settlement school, our date 06.20.20, and to invite only close family due to the pandemic. The only thing we needed was to choose a photographer. I then reach out to Katie with my fingers crossed that she would be available for the date we chose. She responded that she was available so quickly. After looking through all of her packages, we chose which one best suited our small wedding. What still stands out to me most about Katie is how kind and passionate she is about her work. She even includes a free engagement session for all of her brides and grooms. Yeah, she’s pretty great!
After meeting Katie for our engagement photos, I knew she would go above and beyond on our wedding day. We were so thrilled with the results from our engagement session. She was so easygoing and such a pleasure to work with. She made us feel so comfortable during the entire process of capturing our pictures. We felt as if we had known her our whole lives!
A month later quickly approached. It was then 06.20.2020. The biggest and one of the most important days of our lives. I will never forget when Katie first arrived. I was so nervous she wouldn’t find the chapel. This place is so unbelievably beautiful, but in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. I’m talking no service for miles, middle of nowhere! (I still laugh at this because it is a JOURNEY to get to that chapel.) When she got there, her phone was almost dead and the first thing I remember her saying was “Please tell me someone has a charger”. I knew then she would be so much more than just my photographer.
From the moment Katie arrived until the end of our ceremony, she made sure that we stayed right on time. She gave us the gift of reliving our wedding day every time we look at the pictures, which is such an incredible thing because what they say is true. The day does go by too quickly. I’m not sure how she managed it, but she captured every single moment of our wedding perfectly. She makes being in front of a camera very comfortable even for our guests, and it shows in the final product. We have never been disappointed with Katie’s work. Since our engagement and wedding photos, she has captured many other sessions for us. From Christmas minis to our first anniversary pictures, she has always exceeded our expectations. When God put it on me to reach out to Katie, he knew he was sending me so much more than just a photographer. Katie has become such a good friend of mine and honestly feels like family. I never would have imagined the day I messaged her hoping she would be available, that she would become such a sweet friend.
Furthermore, since being married, Alex and I have found a passion for traveling and exploring our National Parks. Marriage is truly the most fun adventure, and thankfully we will always have Katie to capture some of our life’s most fun memories. She is our girl. She has been a huge part of our relationship and has seen us grow so much as a couple. There is no other person I would rather have to capture our special milestones so beautifully. Our next goal is to get Katie to a National Park with us for an amazing session. Y’all grab your hiking boots and stay tuned. We have forever to go and Katie has no choice but to be there doing her thing behind her camera haha! I know the best is yet to come for us and our sweet friend’s photography business. If you are reading this and made it this far and have never had a session with Katie, you have no clue what you are missing. You are sure to walk away with so much more than just a photographer. Not only do Alex and I have pictures to look back on and relive our wedding day, but we found a lifelong friend.
