Kevin + Milagros | Married

Can you believe that even with well-over 200 weddings under my belt, this was the first opportunity to photograph a half-Peruvian wedding?! One of my top goals at the beginning of this year was to expand in my diversity of work. I find it so fun and fascinating to discover new cultures, traditions, and ways to celebrate. The way I see it, life’s way too short to only experience one flavor of anything–– especially when it comes to love, people, and weddings.

Let’s take a look at some of my favorite captures from this special April wedding, and read along as we grill the bride, Milagros for all the fun details surrounding their story and their wedding day!

Arriving back to my favorite stomping grounds, Fairview Farm Events always makes my photographer heart so happy. There’s just something to be said for the feeling you get when you pull up to a familiar space where you’ve built such fond memories over the years. No matter how many times I celebrate a couple’s commitment to forever on these grounds, it will always come with the excitement of the very first time. With a team of kind and professional vendors, Fairview continues to impress couples from all walks of life; making each country-chic wedding dream become a reality.

Kevin and Milagros’ day was the perfect combination of mild and spicy. They chose vendors who I’ve enjoyed working with for years, which felt both familiar and comforting, like a creative family reunion of sorts. They also sprang for some wild-card details that I’ve never worked with before, like a Peruvian dessert table and the dance-balloon party of a lifetime (seriously, you guys should see some of these dance pictures). These are literally the moments I live for – when I get to discover a new way to create, a new way to love, and a new way to celebrate with each other!

To work with this couple is to feel their full love and appreciation. As cheesy as it may sound, I’m still not sure who, out of the three of us, felt more thankful and happy to be there. On their wedding day, Kevin was kind, attentive and relaxed; always cracking jokes and making others more comfortable. Milagros was gracious, inviting, and warm; always nurturing others and asking who she could help at any given time. Together, they were giggly, sweet, and seemed to effortlessly divide their attention equally so that everyone got to drink from their overflowing fountain of love. What a blessing it was to be there that day, for each and every one of us.

Question: So Milagros, how did you and Kevin meet?
Answer: We met on a dating app! It was a late night in March when I decided to download the app, since a cousin of mine had recommended it. Around 11pm, I was swiping right and left when we matched. The app we were on favors women, so I had 24 hrs to initiate a conversation. Well, I messaged him right away, around midnight. I was not expecting for him to reply 5 min after, but that’s exactly what he did. That first night, we texted each other for hours and every day after that until April 6, when we had our first date. He chose a Peruvian restaurant to meet each other at, since I am from Peru, and he wanted to learn more about my culture. We had so much fun on our first date that it lasted for at least 5 hours. Since that day, our relationship just continued to grow and is still growing to this day.

Question: How would you describe you and Kevin as a couple?
Answer: We knew for a long time that we were ideal for each other. I approach every situation with a very fast-paced attitude. Kevin helps me to slow down, relax, and appreciate the little things. We make a great team, which continues to prove itself as we raise our 3-year-old together. I believe that our ability to compromise, communicate, and respect each other is what makes us such a good fit.

Question: What’s your favorite thing about Kevin and why?
Answer: My favorite thing about Kevin is that he is so loving. The way he cares about his family (mom, sister, dad) demonstrates how he will care and love our family, and how he will always put us first.

Question: Ask Kevin what’s his favorite thing about you and why?
Answer: My favorite thing about Milagros is her big, loving heart. She Always cares about her extended family and friends, and she makes sure to always let them know how important they are to her.

*Ashley’s Note: Won’t you look at that? Both of your answers were focused around how deeply your spouse loves their people. What a beautiful thing it is to hold kindness, generosity, and love at such a high esteem. I believe these will remain the moral pillars of your family, and it just goes to show the quality of humans you both are; completely top notch.

Question: How did you get engaged? We want details!
Answer: We went to a balloon festival in Albuquerque in October of 2018. Kevin was planning to propose in front of all the balloons, where a lot of people had. He was so shy that he couldn’t do it that morning. We came back for the second part of the festival, with Kevin now better-prepared for how many people would be there. Unfortunately, that day became so windy that the event was actually cancelled, so he had to quickly decide where else he could propose. We had gone with a group of friends, and I can now see how hard they were working together to make it happen. We ended up going to a beautiful winery in the mountains, but the high altitude was affecting me a little bit, so I wasn’t feeling that good. Working together, they devised a quick plan: his best friend’s wife asked me if I wanted to go to take pictures in the back yard of the winery. I said no at the beginning (lol) but seeing her face drop into a frown changed my mind, so I said ok lets go (no-one likes a party pooper haha). Suddenly, a random couple came up and asked me to take some pictures of them, which I agreed to do. I was so focused on taking their pictures that I had completely forgotten where Kevin was. When I finished taking pictures, I turned back to ask him to get in a picture with me, he was there behind me on one knee with the ring in his hands and his beautiful, nervous smile. I was in shock. He asked me if I wanted to spend the rest of our lives together and I automatically said I DO!!

*Ashley’s Note: Wow!! Kevin truly went the extra mile to make that moment special for you. His strengths of persistence and teamwork will undoubtedly be a huge asset to your marriage. Having the determination to discover a new way even when the doors of opportunity seem to have shut in his face is honorable, and something I know your family will grow to depend on as years continue. I’m so impressed with how even your engagement story reflects the very strength that keeps your love alive.

Question: Tell us a short story about a core memory you took away from your wedding day. 
Answer: Walking down the aisle, we both will always remember the moment when we looked at each other while we I was walking down the aisle

*Ashley’s Note: How fitting for you to have chosen a moment shared by you and Kevin. Surrounded by a room full of eyes on you, and the only eyes you saw were his. May this all-encompassing, electric best-friend connection that your souls share remain a constant reminder of the utter goodness of life. You’ve spent your entire lives searching for a match, and from this day forward, you’ll always have a loving pair of eyes to search for in a crowded room. Like clockwork, Kevin’s eyes will be right there, welcoming you home. Now that’s a true love story.

Question: Do you have a favorite memory from working with Ashley Dorton?
Answer: When we got in contact with Ashley, we were freaking out because we had already had a bad experience with another photographer, which turned out to be the best thing that happened to us! As soon as I saw her website, I fell in love with her work and I’m so glad now that we had that bad experience in order to find her! We live 2 hours away from the wedding site and we couldn’t travel freely down there to do the engagement pictures, so she gave us another option. She was always on top of everything, trying to make the process less stressful. It was really a pleasure to work with her and she was SO helpful.

*Ashley’s Note: I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Even the most unfortunate of circumstances tend to lead us towards making decisions and new connections we wouldn’t have made otherwise. I firmly believe that’s exactly why things had to happen the way they did with your photography–– just so our paths could cross. Just as one of the world’s most-loved artists, Bob Ross refers to mistakes as “happy accidents”, I choose to look at life’s curveballs as a gentle re-direct from our loving creator… a nudge in the right direction.

It is in my nature to be of service and help to others, so your comments on my helpfulness were received with such honor and gratitude. Planning and hosting any event can be stressful, and that emotional impact is only increased when the event being planned is your own wedding day. While my right-brain is always focused on capturing the frame-worthy moments of the day, my left-brain holds deep space and compassion for creating love and harmony in any situation. You and Kevin were such a joy to work with that I would have gone to any length necessary in order to make sure your day went perfectly. I bet that’s the type of connection you both deserved all along.

Question: When planning the wedding, how did you pick each vendor? What stood out about each one?
Answer: Fairview Farm Events: We saw Fairview on Facebook. When we went to visit, it was just us two and we fell in love with the location. I saw myself dancing on the dance floor with Kevin. It was the best decision we could have ever made! Every single person that went to the wedding fell in love with the location, just like we did!

Cater2Events: We received a vendor list from Deborah from Fairview, which listed several of the vendors we ended up choosing. We decided to check out Cater2Events’ website and fall in love with the presentation and menus, and when we actually tried the food we knew after the first bite that we chose the best! family and friends were delighted with the menu!

Black-Tie Entertainment: Black-Tie Entertainment was another vendor we were thankful enough to find through the vendor list Fairview gave us. They were so nice and accommodated all of my requests. With this event being a half-Hispanic wedding, they did an exceptional job adding the Hora Loca and several other popular Latin music hits. Eamonn was amazing!!! He got my whole family and all of my friends out on the dance floor to party.

Richmond Limousine: Also from the vendor list, Richmond Limousine was very flexible and accommodating. They transported our guests safely to and from the event, and they also took care of me and my wedding party’s transportation. The entire day ran on time!

Flowers Make Scents: Flowers Make Scents also came highly recommended by Fairview. From the beginning, the staff at Flowers Make Scents were so nice and helpful, and they far exceeded my expectations. Each center piece was amazing and the addition of the flowers added to my wedding cake looked incredible! This florist really took my vision and made it a reality!

XoXo Wedding Co.: Tanya from XoXo Wedding Co. was spectacular and always there for us! We really loved the whole team over at XoXo – they were on top of everything prior to and during the wedding, and we can’t express enough how much we enjoyed working with Tanya.

Publix Bakery: We made the best choice ever when we decided to create our cake with Publix. Angela assisted us through the entire process, and she actually delivered the cake herself, which meant a lot to us! We enjoyed being able to sample many different cake flavors before selecting the perfect one for us, and we were also able to utilize their services for day-of breakfast catering.

Passion for Sweets: Since this was a half-Peruvian wedding, we wanted to bring some Peruvian flavor to our celebration, so we found Monica with Passion for Sweets. She did a wonderful job with the desserts, and everyone had nothing but compliments for our delicious dessert table.

Ashley Dorton Photography: We actually found Ashley on the vendor list that was provided by Fairview as well, and she was amazing! Ashley was super accommodating to our requests, and she kept great communication. She was flexible with our schedule, since we lived 2 hours away, and her VIP access to the venue allowed us to utilize the entire farm for our engagement shoot. We got so lucky in finding and hiring Ashley and her assistant, Chloe to document our special day.

To Milagros and Kevin,

Thank you for sharing a whole new flavor of wedding fun and excitement with me that I hadn’t yet experienced before. I’ll forever cherish the memories of you two dancing the night away and having the time of your lives. You both made my job fun, easy, and exciting, and for that- I’m so glad that fate put us all together!

And finally, a huge ‘thank you’ to all of the amazing vendors mentioned in this blog who played a special part in making this wedding such a success! You’re all true professionals, and I hope to work with you many more times in the future!

Here’s to finding the person who looks for you in a crowded room, forever and ever and ever.

Xo,
Ashley




(Blog designed & Written by Sarah of Aligned Artists)