Rock the Dress – Chris and Cami Photography

It was such a privilege to be a part of Jillian and Jard’s beautiful wedding celebration in Anaheim, CA!!!

When they got engaged a couple years ago, their amazing Aunt Nancy asked me to be their photographer as her gift to them. Nancy and Jillian’s mom, Margie, grew up in the Congo and went to TASOK, as did my brothers and I. Being in a foreign country together, the bond between missionary families is strong! So much so, that we referred to our friend’s parents as “Aunt” and “Uncle”, even when there was no real relation. And that bond of being missionary kids together stays on long after leaving the country our parents served in. This is one of my favorite parts of being a “Third Culture Kid”! So it was with great honor that I gladly accepted the opportunity to photograph this joyful occasion for their family!!!

The wedding was originally planned for last year. But as we all know, last year came to a screeching halt! Jillian and Jard were still able to become man and wife on their original wedding date, albeit in a very small intimate ceremony. But fortunately, the venue, and all their vendors, were still available for June 13th of 2021, which was EXACTLY 1 year from their original date. So their wedding celebration was also their 1-year Anniversary!!! How cool is that?!?

It was such a pleasure to catch up with the Allans, the Chapmans, the Sharps, and others of the “Congo Community” at Jillian and Jard’s amazing wedding! And it was such an honor to be there for this AMAZING couple to capture this special time in their lives! CONGRATULATIONS to you both!!! We wish you all the happiness in the world as you begin your new journey together…

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For the grand finale of Maniesha & Travis’ amazing Charleston wedding celebration, we met up at Folly Beach for an incredible Trash-the-Dress session!

Actually, we prefer the term Rock-the-Dress. Some even call it Rock-the-Frock. Regardless of what you call it, I love the romantic notion behind this concept. When a bride elects to do a TTD session, essentially she’s saying “I have found the one true love of my life, and will never need this dress again!!!” Isn’t that sweet?!? Of course most brides get it cleaned and sell it, or get it preserved in a shadowbox. But the best part is, they have all these AMAZING, creative, artistic, and unique images to hang in their home or preserve in their album to commemorate this special day when they said “I do”.

CONGRATULATIONS again to Maniesha & Travis! You are two very special people. Your son Dallas is lucky to have you. And I consider myself lucky to have met you!!!

P.S. As soon as we finished shooting and got out of the water, a pod of dolphins came RIGHT UP to us…as if to investigate this strange shimmering gown that was so elegantly swaying in the waved!!! How cool is that?!? 🙂