Ahhh! Hardest. Thing. I’ve. Ever. Had. To. Do.

I might not do this again in the future because it was soooo hard to choose a winner.  I was going to announce this on Monday, but took an extra few days to sleep and pray on it.  All of us on the RTP team wanted to pick all the awesome couples who entered.  We really did.  Everyone had such moving stories and were all so deserving. It was the toughest decision ever, but I feel at peace about our decision.  And I guess that’s what matters. So, with out further ado, I’m pleased to announce our 2011 wedding photography winners:

Malerie and Chris!

Malerie and Chris’ story:

Chris is a high-school teacher in Longmont, and is finishing his M.A. in ESL– he has a huge heart to help second language students succeed in school. I am an MA student at Denver Seminary, where I am chipping away at my degree in Community Counseling. Needless to say….two students/teacher don’t have a lot of extra money to pay for a wedding.

My family (who would traditionally pay for a wedding) is unable to help with the cost very much. When I was 7, my father was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s– a cancer of the lymph system. Between then and now, he has relapsed 4 times, had several rounds of chemo, two stem-cell transplants, and has been in the hospital more than he has been out. Today, he is cancer free, but the many rounds of treatment have left him handicapped. His immune system is extremely fragile, and he is constantly in and out of the hospital with sepsis, pneumonia, etc. Because of this, he is unable to work, and most of my parents’ money has gone to medical bills. I actually payed my own way through college and now grad school, fully aware that it would be too much of a strain on them to help pay for my education.

In light of this, Chris and I are trying to do a wedding as cheaply as possible, with a lot of DIY projects, friends acting as DJ’s and officiators, etc. However, the one area that I would be very sad to skimp on is the photography. I dapple in photography myself, and it has always been a very important memory-maker for me. I take pictures of EVERYTHING! But…obviously I can’t take pictures of my own wedding day. I want to always have photos of the big day (the candid moments, the small details, everything) that I can look back on, show my children and my grandchildren, and re-live the special day. Chris and I have been waiting for each other for a long time, so this day is a big celebration for us– it really will be the most special day of our lives together. I just think that wonderful photography that can capture those small, precious moments of the day, would be priceless and irreplaceable for us.

Thank you for your time, and for offering up this giveaway. I am sure that whoever ends up with it will be blessed beyond belief!

Thanks again,
Malerie and Chris