Juanito & Celina

My first 2026 wedding did not disappoint! Juanito and Celina are the dream couple; easygoing, fun and friendly. Celina’s calm and patient personality pairs perfectly with Juanito’s outgoing, charismatic one. Truly, they were meant for each other.

I always send my clients a questionnaire before their session or wedding so I can get to know them and hear a little bit about their story. I loved reading Celina’s responses and I’ll share the story of how they met and fell in love, because I think it’s just such a sweet one:

The first time Juanito and Celina met was at a youth camp. Since Juanito lived 8 hours away, Celina didn’t really give it more thought, but she definitely noticed him. A couple months later they met up again at Steinreich Bible school where they were both studying for 3 months. They had mutual friends and hung out often. Eventually those friends started teasing them about each other. Celina likes to say they started dating the old fashioned way because after a while, Juanito started leaving her little anonymous notes in the post box. She eventually found out they were from him. They never really texted or exchanged phone numbers before Juanito confessed his feelings to her and asked her out on a date in person. After the 3 months at Bible school were over, they went on their first date and the rest is history!

One of the most important things for Celina when it came to her wedding day was that it would be a calm, chill day with a low-stress timeline. For this reason we didn’t do a bunch of getting ready photos and the couple didn’t have a bridal party. 

I was fully on board from the beginning. I’m all about having calm and relaxed wedding days. While I love getting creative shots with the bridal details and doing fun, trendy photos, this is not what your wedding day is ultimately about! Your wedding day is not meant to be a production. It’s a day meant to celebrate the love you and your partner share. It’s meant to be enjoyed and fully felt. So if a long shot list keeps you from that, please don’t hesitate to shorten it and focus on what really matters to you. 

Another thing that made Juanito and Celina’s wedding unique was that they went the traditional route of having their first look when she came down the aisle. There was an extra excitement and tension in the air as everyone was waiting for Celina to make her grand entrance with her parents. She arrived at the venue just before the ceremony, in a truck that had belonged to her grandma who recently passed away. If you ask me, intentional details like that are what make the day extra special.

I could go on and on about this couple and this wedding, but I think I’ve rambled long enough. I will say though, that you don’t want to miss the very last photo. In my opinion it could go on the cover of a magazine! The light, the location, the couple = perfection!

Wedding Venue: Backwoods Event Center

Decor: New Beginning Events

Second Shooter: Candid Photos

Wedding Gown: Diana’s Bridal

Hair: Hair by Savanna

Makeup: Rosita Peters