2019 started off with my very first January wedding as a photographer. It was such a beautiful wedding full of love and the blending of two cultures for a happily ever after! 

The following is a bit of Tim and Amanda’s journey

A 6,000 Mile Love Story

After completing college both Tim and Amanda found themselves serving as missionaries on the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. Tim arrived on island in January 2010 and Amanda arrived in August 2013. They lived on the same compound and just down the porch from one another for two years. The first year they were on campus together they hung out sporadically with the other student missionaries. A highlight Amanda remembers from that first year was a Saturday afternoon spent in Tony’s apartment when Tim came and read some of us SM’s a World Atlas with his Fijian accent while doing his best Planet Earth commentary impression. There’s a video of that somewhere out there!

The second year brought about more hang-outs because there was a new batch of SM’s to meet and get to know. Many Saturday nights Amanda was intercepted on her way to the open gym with the church youth to go on runs to town in search of ice cream. It helped that Tim had his own van and it was the only one that had AC!

10 days before departing the island to come back home, Tim got up the nerve and asked Amanda out. Yep, 10 days spent together as boyfriend and girlfriend before they became separated by 6,000 miles of ocean. After MANY, MANY video calls and Facebook messaging back and forth the decision was made for Tim to come and meet Amanda’s family for Christmas in 2016. A tourist visa was acquired and a 10-day trip was planned. A Christmas spent FREEZING and seeing the sights in Washington and Oregon.

And Then…

After many MORE video calls and messaging, no one knew what the future would hold. But thanks to some fantastic friends (who are basically family), a room was offered and a 6-month invitation extended for Tim to come and live in the same town as Amanda to see what could be in store for their relationship. 4 months into that stay and they were engaged, on New Years Eve. After spending the day out at the beach with friends, and freezing, Tim decided to propose not on the beach but somewhere warm. So after returning home and getting ready to kill time before watching the New Year roll in, he popped the question from the warmth of our friend’s couch.

And so began the long process of figuring out visas and immigration. Attorneys acquired, paperwork filed, and here we are. Awaiting the final paperwork that will bring Tim back to America so that a wedding can occur and a lifetime of laughter and happiness ahead.

Love conquers 6,000 miles!

I find it remarkable when people who grew up so far away from each other have found their true love! Clearly they are meant to be!

Tim’s family helped dress him and his groomsmen in traditional Fijian clothing made from the bark of tree which grows in the South Pacific.  After being carefully STAPLED in he was rubbed down with a generous dose or two of coconut oil. Making it tricky to pose him close to Amanda but not so close that her gorgeous gown suffered from the oil. 

Tim also explained to me that the fans his groomsmen carried have replaced the clubs and spears carried back before his family became Christians. I think the handmade fans with Tim and Amanda’s names on them were a much nicer and gentler touch than clubs and spears!

Their wedding was a beautiful blend of their two cultures. With Evergreens twinkling in the background to a traditional rug where they stood and promised to love each other forever.  Amanda’s gorgeous gown and Tim’s impressive wedding attire. Stunning flowers and happy attendants all surrounded by the love and support of friends and family in Amanda’s home church. 

Along with lots of family many of Tim and Amanda’s missionary friends were able to attend their wedding. They all gathered around them immediately following the ceremony for a group photo. 

The food was amazing! The fruit was so colorful and plentiful and beautifully displayed! Not to mention YUMMY!  And who doesn’t love a table full of a mouthwatering display of donuts?! The bride and groom donuts were the cutest!!! The reception was full of hugs, laughter and good eating!

While this photographer hoped for some outside shots it was a rainy cold wedding day. We did sneak out for just a couple after the ceremony. Tim and his groomsmen by then had changed into more comfortable attire. 

Thank you Tim and Amanda I was honored to be your photographer. I wish you many years of happiness.

Shelly