Rust Manor House Wedding | Stephen & Rana

Life is full of surprises.

Such is the case of Stephen and Rana's love story that begins in Florida, pauses in Texas, and ends in Virginia.

Stephen and Rana went to the same collage in Florida and metaphorically brushed elbows with one another, running around overlapping friend groups and meeting one another's acquaintances.

Stephen made the move to Texas where he landed a job at an in-home nursing company as an operations personnel. It was a difficult job with long hours and putting out fires with corporate's eye always watching you. I know only because, I worked for that same company in the nursing department before I started photography full time. It's how I met Stephen. We worked everyday Monday-Friday in the same office. The position he held, had a very high turn over. It's not for the faint of heart but Stephen's character was one full of integrity and emotional intelligence; and this is exactly what earned him the coveted position of marketing rep. among all the other operational specialists.

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It was tough for the office to see him go but we all knew without a doubt that he was well deserving of this job. It would be the very thing that took him from Texas to Virginia and straight to Rana's timeline.

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Rana had already made the move from Florida to Virginia and heard the news that Stephen was moving to the area. They reconnected as friends and eventually caught romantic feelings. Still connected to Stephen via instagram, I remember seeing when he had proposed. I sent my congratulations to them not knowing they would extend the honor to photograph their wedding in Virginia the following year.

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Rana and Stephens wedding is still the first and only, till this day, that has made me well up with tears during their vows. As a professional, I am there to pay attention and to listen and anticipate what may happen next. My attentiveness during the vows pulled me out of my own task oriented mind and I couldn't help getting emotion hearing the solemnity in their loving affirmations to one another. There was depth, there was maturity, and there was passion backed by the trials they faced together in every word they spoke.

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Stephen and Rana's love is gentile, kind, patient, respectful, and selfless. And there is evidence of those same characteristics of love in their families. This is why I cannot prioritize exogenous sources of creativity. I do not draw my creativity from popular social networks on the internet. Why look outward when the couple before me has their own uniqueness, their own story, and their own very special way of loving each other. It's irreplaceable.

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Photography: Rebekah Paul Photography

Venue: The Rust Manor House located in Leesburg, Virginia

Planning/Coordination: Extravagant Affairs

HMUA: Simply Done Hair & Makeup by LZ

Caterer: Mission BBQ

Florist & Decor: Extravagant Affairs

DJ: Dj P. Skyllz

Bakery: Dunn From Scratch