a letter to my husband & an announcement...

What a year it has been, 'eh? Lord knew that marriage wouldn't be easy, but I never thought we would face so many joys and challenges in our first 12 months.

The mountain tops were high: We rented our first apartment together and made it our home. We traveled the states and beyond. You completed your bachelor's degree - with flying colors! We found a great church community and made lots of new friends together. We joined one of my best friends as she said "I do" and witnessed as other dear friends jumped into forever with each other. You began your seminary journey - Yay Greek! We shared the joy of adding another little nephew to the family and celebrated with our families during great accomplishments.

The valleys were terribly low as we stood with family and friends during heartbreak and tragedies, carried the casket of one of your best friends, experienced deep grief and confusion, juggled broken cars and pinched pennies, sometimes with only our trust in God to carry us through the days and weeks.

Merging two lives together has been an exciting, difficult and rewarding thing.

As I proudly and confidently took the leap into joining you as your wife, I am now finally taking the leap into rebranding as Jenn Anibal. Thank you for loving me, supporting me, laughing with me and holding me when the days were too much to bear. It's been a crazy dance through the minefields, but you are the best dance partner I could have. I love you, hubs. Don't give up on me.

Becoming Jenn Anibal... from jennanibal on Vimeo.

"i do" are the most famous last words, the beginning of the end. but to lose your life for another, i've heard, is a good place to begin. because the only way to find your life is to lay your own life down and i believe its an easy price for the life that we have found.

we're dancing in the minefields. we're sailing in the storms.

this is harder than we dreamed, but i believe that's what the promise is for

we bear the light of the Son of man so there is nothing left to fear. so i'll walk with you in the shadow lands until the shadows disappear. because He promised not to leave us and His promises are true. so in the face of all this chaos, baby... i can dance with you. don't give up on me.

the announcement . . . 

I alluded to "something big" happening recently on twitter. To all of you who thought I was pregnant... I'm sorry, you're wrong. Ladies, gentlemen, friends and family. This concludes my journey as JennWebber Photography. It has been a rewarding path, but from this point forward, I will be walking on a new path. Don't worry, I'm not putting the camera away, this is a simple rebrand that has been a year in the making... 

Change your bookmarks, folks. 
You can now find me at:

 www.jennanibal.com

my best friend's wedding.

Alexa is one of my best friends. When she walked into my sixth grade classroom, she was the new, quiet girl. We sat at the same lunch table that year... talking occasionally, but nothing ever substantial. It wasn't until the following year, in 7th grade band, that our friendship solidified. We sat next to each other as much as we could, trying to pay attention and get our flutes in tune, but often giggling more than playing. As the years rolled on, we found ourselves spending many days and evenings at each others' houses doing not much of anything, but always laughing and having the time of our lives. We remained strong friends through high school and our college years. Together, we experienced joy, grief, stresses, heartbreaks and accomplishments. Through it all, I have come to find that Alexa is one of the strongest women that I have ever known. She is completely radiant inside and out. She is accepting, caring, intelligent and handles adversity with grace. Last week, I had the joy of standing next to her, along with our other best friend, Kate as her matron & maid of honor as she wed the love of her life, Nathan.

I left the professional camera duties to my friends Abby & Todd, but here are a few behind the scene images from the bachelorette brunch and getting ready on the wedding day...

the "bachelorette brunch" on Wing Lake (Bloomfield Hills, MI) at our friends' home...
The main decor inspiration for the brunch was buttons. Alexa is also a Mason Jar & wildflower kind of soul... so naturally, we incorporated those. Her wedding color palette included honeys, golds, oranges, browns and yellows, so we tried to keep all colors within that.

The menu was inspired by Alexa's favorite Food Network star, the Barefoot Contessa. The main dish was slow-roasted scrambled eggs mixed with goat cheese and fresh chives, topped with roasted asparagus and tomatoes. Accompanying the entree was oven roasted herb potatoes, greek yogurt & granola, two-bite scones and a homemade fruit salad made by my momma!

the wedding day. Ceremony @ Kensington Community Church (Troy, MI), Reception @ The Huntsman Hunt Club (Dryden, MI)

Before her grandma passed away years ago, she gave these diamond earrings to Alexa and requested that she wear them on her wedding day. The necklace she wore held a diamond that her dad gave her mom on their 10th anniversary. What a beautiful way to commemorate her loved ones!

Alexa's little brothers...

And then, I put down my camera to stand next to my friend as she became a wife...

Alexa, I love you. I find it a blessing to call you a dear friend and I am so excited that you have found Nathan to be your husband. Your wedding day truly was one for the books (no pun intended ;)) and it was a honor to witness this union.

the perfect engagement ring {featuring paul & cassie}

In the few years of being a wedding photographer... I have seen A LOT of engagement rings. Some are big, some are petite, some are intricate and unique, some are beautifully simple... but one thing I always hear is... "It is perfect!"

I said it myself when Jonathan gave me my ring... it was simply perfect. We had never officially gone ring shopping together, but over the course of our dating relationship, I definitely dropped a lot of hints about what I personally did and did not like (what girl doesn't??). But when he got down on his knee and put the ring on my finger... all those thoughts and opinions flew out of my mind. I looked down at my hand and exclaimed, "It is perfect!" He had quietly taken in my opinions (and one of my best friends) to the store and picked out the perfect ring. What a guy!

For me, a perfect engagement ring isn't too big, but not too teeny that I could crush it. It has a princess cut diamond, with smaller princess cut diamonds along the white gold band. Oh, a picture? ok... :)

For my dear friend Alexa... her perfect engagement ring is completely different than mine! She doesn't want a diamond as the main gem! Her fiance, Nathan, took her opinion, mixed it with his geological knowledge of gems and picked out a ring that proudly boasts a yellow sapphire, surrounded by little diamonds with a petite band...









And for Cassie, her idea of the perfect engagement ring has a black pearl. Knowing that, Paul went to the store and found the right setting and the right black pearl. In Cassie's opinion, Paul designed the perfect ring for her! Paul popped the question this past Friday and I snagged a few pictures of this totally unique ring on Saturday. Congratulations, Cassie & Paul!

So future grooms... find out what your woman likes! You don't have to go ring shopping or have her pick it out if you want to do it on your own. By all means... pick out the ring on your own! But make sure you have an idea of what she likes and then take creative liberty. Not every girl wants a diamond, not every girl wants the standard... but then again, a lot of girls do. If you are confused, the best friend is ALWAYS a good assistant... as long as she can keep a secret. Happy shopping! ;)