Denver Mansion Wedding // Jill + Tony
Dec 3
A part of me has been dreading the prospect of writing this blog post for weeks… months perhaps. I’m not entirely sure how I could ever use my modest writing skills to properly convey how much this experience and these people mean to me. Jill and Tony’s was so much more than just a wedding to me. This was a lesson in giving and receiving infinitely more in return.
I knew that Jill and Tony were going to be “those” clients (the easy-going, energetic, fun-to-be-around kind of clients that leave you pinching yourself in disbelief) when they took me out for beer after their engagement session. However, this story begins with Tony’s brother, Mike.
In the spring of this year, along with wrapping up my last semester of college, I dedicated a significant amount of time to volunteering my design and photography skills to the Human Rights Campaign. I was on the design committee for their annual gala in Denver and ended up creating a logo and invitation for the event. I also photographed the gala in April and donated a wedding package worth $3,100 to their silent auction. That’s where I met Mike, who won the silent auction photography package for his brother and sister-in-law… Tony and Jill.
You see, just like the rest of you, I’m quite familiar with the old adage that goes, “It is better to give than to receive.” But I think many of us (myself included) still pause before we give of our time or money because deep down it conjures a sense of lack. While I am incredibly passionate about the work that HRC does, I found myself frequently wondering how I would have time to work on the gala while wrapping up the hardest semester of my college career. I laid awake at night wondering how I could afford to donate a $3,100 wedding package while still trying to grow my business (and before I had found a full time design job). However, my incredible passion for gay rights guided my commitment to HRC and the Mile High Gala. And I am here to tell you that everything I gave has come back to me tenfold.
I have made incredible friendships and connections through the work I have done with HRC Denver. I have been commissioned for new photography and design jobs because of it. I met this amazing couple who I consider not only clients but also dear friends. I relate to Tony and Mike’s relationship and am inspired by the love and family bond I witnessed at this wedding. I am also so grateful that I got to photograph this GORGEOUS wedding at a new (to me) venue, the Grant Humphreys Mansion, in Denver.
So, from the bottom of my heart, Thank you to the Human Rights Campaign and the HRC Mile High Gala for the very important work you do and for inviting me to be a part of it. Thank you to Mike for standing guard over my booth at the silent auction to ensure you won my photography package! Thank you Jill and Tony for being absolute angels to work with, creating a beautiful and inclusive wedding which I am proud to have in my portfolio, and inspiring me with your love story!
Please enjoy…
Congratulations Jill + Tony! Here’s to Happily-Ever-After!
