You might remember Carmen and Bayram from their stunning Mt Lemmon Engagement session! And as you’d expect from that session, their wedding photos are epic as well!

I shared part 1 of this pair’s story in the original blog post, and below I’m sharing again (along with part 2) in order to give the full picture:

“Carmen and Bayram’s relationship and story are about as epic as these mountain views themselves. Being the outdoor/athletic pair they are, of course it would be a race that would plant them in the same place at the same time. Carmen recounted the sweet/fun story of when they first met, and I’m going to let you hear it straight from her:

Carmen: I had recently crossed the finish line of a race and this tall guy wearing an Intel Jersey, looking like he had finished hours before me (swoon…fast guy), walked up. He asked if I had seen ‘Mike’ in a THICK accent (read: alluring)! “No idea who Mike is, but where are you from?”. He responded with “California,” which I quickly rebuked and said “NO, where are you REALLY from?” Under his breath, “Turkmenistan.” …Most people don’t even know that it’s a country, let alone where it is. But me?—I already had a love affair with Central Asia, therefore, major bonus points.

We both were working for Intel at the time. And as it often happens, once you meet someone, you suddenly spot them everywhere – primarily gym and yoga! While we were attracted to each other, our life philosophies were vastly different, making any kind of romantic relationship impossible. Yet, over the span of the next 3 years we continued crossing paths with enough interaction to make each of us want more, and not able to get it. The pressure in the garden hose was building, due to an obvious kink in it — Jesus. That kink was not the easiest to undo on either of our sides. Bayram tried coming to church, tried to understand Jesus, but to no avail and no change. Blocked! Yet somehow throughout all this time, God was arranging in such a way that one day that hose would get straightened. In retrospect, it is amazing to see all the little ways that God answers when we call. Our prayer now is that we continue in a life submitted to God, and that His grace flows in our lives, allowing us to abide in a place of peace, beauty and fruitfulness.

To celebrate the metaphor of God moving mountains in their relationship, Carmen and Bayram planned an adventure in the Flagstaff mountains for their day, and goodness was it a treat! I have never photographed such a unique day, and wow–it was SPECIAL! Enjoy the highlights from their day!