"Who Are You Calling A Widow" Photoshoot for Andrea Perez
Author Photoshoot and Headshots | Mommy-and-Me Pics | Ramsey, NJ | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography
“Who Are You Calling A Widow?”
By Andrea Perez
One of my favorite things about being a wedding photographer is getting to keep up with my couples-turned-friends after their weddings and capturing their milestones years afterwards. We were lucky enough to travel down to Punta Cana in 2017 to photograph Andrea and Arash’s Destination Wedding and we’ve kept up with them ever since.
Andrea is an extra-special person— she is a loving mother and a caring wife, she has one of the strongest relationships with her sister and family that I have ever seen, she is a fun and loyal friend, and she is also a military widow. She has an extraordinary story to tell and is working towards self-publishing her memoir, Who Are You Calling A Widow? I encourage everyone to follow along as she gets closer to releasing her book because her words are important, relatable, and full of compassion and perspective.
We were able to get together a few weeks ago for a sushi dinner at Andrea and Arash’s house and I could have stayed up all night just chatting with Andrea! She’s a great listener and such a valuable friend and I’m so lucky to get to live close to her again. Andrea needed an author headshot for the book so it was a great excuse to spend some time together again this past weekend. She brought her adorable daughter Kayla with her and we were able to keep the photos really fun and capture some mommy-and-me pics, too!
Enjoy some highlights from their shoot and subscribe below to be the first to know when ‘Who Are You Calling A Widow?’ is released!
Photography: Heather Huie for Apollo Fields
Heather is the co-owner of Apollo Fields along with her husband, Terrence. She does the photography and he handles the journalism parts of the business and together, they travel all over for weddings near and far! They love keeping up with their past couples and consider themselves lucky to have jobs where their clients become friends. They still have a few openings left for the 2019 wedding season and are excited to be booking into 2020 as well— contact them now to check their availability and book your own event!
Non-Traditional Wedding Planning and Inspiration
DIY Wedding Ideas | Non-Traditional Wedding | Farm Wedding Photographers | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography | Ramsey, NJ
As wedding photojournalists we’ve had the privilege of documenting people on the best day of their lives. Surrounded by friends and family, our wedding couples celebrate their love with the traditions their families have taught them. But what happens if a couple doesn’t have any traditions? Or what if they do but they don’t have any connection to them? Please take these words as a license to create the wedding that best defines your relationship. Borrow from different traditions or create your own. There are no rules.
Heather and I chose to have our wedding at her aunt and uncle’s private farm in Ramsey, NJ, because: 1) they allowed us to, and 2) it was our closest connection to a meaningful tradition. The owners of Honeymoon Acres, Aunt Pam and Uncle Rick got married there in 1996 and we wanted to honor their union by following in their footsteps. Far from perfect, the farm is a haven for animals and family gatherings, treating four legged creatures with an equal-if-not-greater-hand than our relatives. There’s humility in recognizing the value of every animal on this earth and Pam and Rick never forget that and neither will we.
When you’re planning your wedding and getting caught up in the inevitable whirlwind of varying opinions remember this: you are the stewards of your own love. It is you and your significant other who are taking this expedition together — your brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, other relatives and friends can be safe places to stop along the way — but you two are the captains. It is you two who determine the course and to cede control of your wedding day is to allow others to briefly steer the ship. If you are okay with that, fine, but know that a ship with interim captains can wind up in uncharted waters. Please forgive the dramatic analogy but I cannot overemphasize the peace and fulfillment that comes with choosing the way you wish to celebrate your love.
Heather and I decided to celebrate ours by having our friend, David Miller, officiate our mala bead ceremony (see previous post). We took this route because of something that, ironically enough, a pastor said to us at a wedding: “it’s funny, I’m probably the person in this room who knows the least about the couple getting married, yet I’m the one speaking to their loved ones about their relationship.” It was all backwards for us, so picking a friend was a no-brainer. One of the other things that David did was pass our rings around to everyone in little nests, letting our guests cradle the symbols of our love in their trusted hands. We later tried to swap out the garter/bouquet toss for a stuffed animal toss to remind ourselves of our inner children — but just like children we somehow misplaced our stuffed animals. We ended the night with a Jewish tradition, the horah, because who doesn’t want to be lifted into the air to look upon the faces of your friends and family as they have the time of their lives?
Your wedding day can be many things. Why settle for traditions that are outdated and empty? Why not borrow the ones you like? Why not create something new? Why not take the opportunity to create a community that celebrates all the best things in your life. Your wedding doesn’t have to be lavish or expensive, all it has to be is you.
Photography: Alexis Cohen & Derek Morf for Apollo Fields
Farm Venue: Honeymoon Acres, Ramsey NJ
Our Engagement!
Out Engagement Story | Apollo Fields Wedding Photographers
Ramsey, NJ
WELL, HEATHER AND I ARE NOW ENGAGED. CHRISTMAS MORNING WAS FILLED WITH SNOW AND DIAMONDS. I WAS NEVER NERVOUS; OUR COMMUNICATION AND CONVERSATIONS ON THE TOPIC MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE. THINKING OF ALL OF THE CREATIVE ENERGY AND LOVE WE HAVE TO BRING TO THE WORLD PROPELLED MY HEART INTO ACTION.
We have disputes, but they are usually about the process of understanding one's emotions. They rarely end poorly, and we usually move towards a unified perspective on any given topic. I love her for that.
Our past is only filled with love, creativity, and achievement; and it's difficult to imagine a future that doesn't contain the same. If life can be broken down into a pattern of decision-making, I couldn't have picked a better partner. It really helped me to look at all the things we have done to fight the enemy of worry.
Now all we have to focus on is building capital to fund the foundation of our future. The hunt for a home, a mountain, and a wedding venue begins...
I THINK MY FAVORITE PART ABOUT OUR PROPOSAL WAS THAT TERRENCE STARTED IT BY SAYING, "WE DID IT, BABE".
In life's most important moments, we are a team. It wasn't 'Will you marry me", or "I love you", necessarily... it was we and us.
We have always based our relationship on the following values: communication, openness, rationality, creativity, and community. Our ability to create together is what we both believes makes us strong. We have dated for a little over three years, and in that time we have built this strong foundation of communication, moved across the country together, expanded our fur family, hosted dozens of dinner parties, and published a book, just to name a few.
Lust and physical attraction may fade over time, and if we based our engagement on those values, then I believe we would be setting ourselves up for failure. But instead, we have based our engagement on the promise to create together and find rational ways to work through the storms that life throws you way.
Heirloom Engagement Ring
We decided that we wanted to honor tradition and legacy, while building upon our own values. I never imagined myself having a diamond ring until Nana offered us this one. It's vintage, with one center stone surrounded by six small diamonds, but what really caught my eye was the story behind it:
HEATHER’S GRANDMOTHER, BETTY, GOT THIS RING FROM HER GRANDFATHER, HERMANN, 64 YEARS AGO IN 1953.
The story goes that Hermann’s boss randomly took him to a jeweler and when Hermann said that he had to save up for one, his boss offered to advance his pay. When he gave it to Betty, she couldn’t believe how much she loved it. Hermann worried like most men do when picking out jewelry for their special someone, but the love and hard work that went into this stone signified more beauty than any karat ever could.
Fast forward to the 21st century and Heather’s finger is the same size. We hope to carry on a tradition of hard work, longevity, creativity, and love that Betty and Hermann started.
When I put my knee in the snow this White Christmas morning in her grandparents backyard, as the wind blew the snow from the tree branches, all I had hoped for was that we would make them proud.
To all the creative traditions in your lives, and may they be filled with immeasurable love.
– Terrence & Heather