Keeping things easy and light, Tomika and Rik opted for a sweet ceremony tucked away in a park during peak autumn colors.
I had met the bride, Tomika, through a friend from work, but never actually "met" met her in person until the day of the wedding! As absolutely crazy as it seemed, we had been texting and emailing through consultations for months leading up to the day and I honestly felt like I had known her for years. Tomika has such a sweet, easygoing personality that it felt like the skies could've opened with a deluge of rain, yet she would still be smiling joyfully waiting to walk down the aisle to her future husband.
Tomika had requested just a couple hours of photography — time for the ceremony and a few family photos afterwards. She had planned a lovely autumnal venue set up at a park in Beloit and honestly, after getting to know Tomika and Rik both, it was absolutely and irrevocably perfect for them. The colors were stunning. The day was chilly, but the sun kept things a bit warmer, though if you stood in the shade for too long, you sort of lost feeling in your hands.
Rik was at the venue location first and he and Tomika planned to first see each other at the aisle. The butterflies I felt knowing that soon Tomika would be arriving and that we'd have to keep the couple separated until then were wild. My heart was fluttering in the best possible way.
Tomika and Rik were married by one of their best friends and the ceremony was straight to the pull and overflowing with love.
After the ceremony, we slipped away for a few bridals with the newlyweds before joining the families together for additional photos. The wisecracks, the "remember when" stories — each layer of friendship and love kept piling up over and over and every minute of knowing Tomika, Rik and all their friends and family was better and better.
One of the best things, in my opinion, about a couple is when their chemistry is so strong you almost have to tell them to stop making out during their bridal sessions. (Just kidding, I would never tell anyone to stop!) All jokes aside though, I couldn't believe how in love Tomika and Rik are. Rik stared at Tomika the entire day and night as if she herself had hung the moon for him and in turn, Tomika couldn't stop grinning and giggling like she was in love for the very first time. Everything about their relationship was inspiring.
tell me this doesn't look like the most fun group to hang out with in the entire world. i'll wait...
Congratulations to the Hoff's!
