Helen & Richard

Dear John,

Tomorrow will be wo months since Lara and Josh's unbelievably beautiful wedding at the unbelievably beautiful Riven Rock Ranch! We have been remiss in not getting a note off to you long before now as intended, and we sincerely apologize for the delay.

We cannot thank you and your "Team Exclusive" enough for the part you played in making May 3rd such a wonderful and special day for Lara and Josh. Everything went so smoothly and they were so pleased.

We realize it didn't just all happen by accident. It took Chris and Jordis at Riven Rock Ranch also an amazing wedding coordinator, plus an excellent photographer and other vendors, who all did superb jobs!

In the dictionary, "superb" is defined as "excellent, majestic, extremely fine, splendid". An "extremely fine" and most "splendid" wedding it certainly was!

As the photographer, your part started early with the Bridal Portraits you took. You excelled - like we knew you would. As you know, Lara's big Bridal Portrait left me speechless! It is simply stunning! It is indeed "splendid" and "majestic"... it is "extremely fine"! In fact, all the Bridal Portraits are, john, and you definitely are a master at your craft.

The photographs and video on the website are amazong and we cannot wait to get the Albums and wedding DVD's from you. I know Lara's South African side of the family have all enjoyed looking in on the website.

I think Chris has turned Riven Rock Ranch into the ultimate wedding venue. Especially with the beautiful covered Pavillion he added just in time for Josh and Lara's wedding. They left honored and fortunate that their wedding was the first one out there. We naturally think it's going to be a tough act to follow! A spectacular first wedding!

Lara had a definire vision of what she wanted her wedding day to be like this time. She discussed it with Tricia Hamil (the wedding consultant provided by Riven Rock Ranch), who created her vision... and then some! Beyond her expectations! After Lara walked through and looked at everything for the first time, I asked her what she though! How she liked it! This was her answer: "It is so beautiful. Ot all turned out even better than I expected!"

For a bride to be abe to make that statement on ther wedding day is a remarkable and wonderful thing. It also had a calming and soothing effect ont he wedding day nerves and anxiety!

Tricia is an exceptional wedding coordinator and she is a huge asset to the Riven Rock Ranch wedding package. She was always cool, calm and collected and she inspired confidence (kinf of like our photographer!). Plus there is also the bonus of her being a great florist, which she showcased so beautifully in all the gorgeous flowers and other table and wedding decor. We know riven Rock Ranch is going to be a very popular and sought-after wedding venue from now on. I'm sure you'll be shooting quite a few more brides out there!

I need to share a statement that Josh made that speaks volumes as well. We were discussing the wedding at 5 o'clock in the morning! (I was their Taxi-cab to the airport and we were waiting on "last-minute-Lara" to finish packing a suitcase full of 200 pairs of shoes she was taking on their Honeymoon!). I asked Josh what stood out to him about their wedding day? If he had a special moment, or what would he have changed? He did not respond immediately - and this was his answer: "It was all special to me... and perfect, and I wouldn't have changed a thing!" He was very sincere and very emotional. I was touched by his reponse. It also reflects how well the wedding went!

As we well know, plenty can go wrong at a wedding, and for both the bride and groom to say their wedding went off perfectly this time and was even better then they expected, is a "splendid" and "excellent" thing! It was heart-warming to know they finally had their special day they waited for a long time.

This has turrned into a rather long letter but it was impossible to condense what we felt about May 3rd, 2008 into a short note. all that matters in the long runis that Josh and Lara will always have such warm and good memories about their wedding day. as long as it was special and perfect to them! Thank you for your part in helping to make it so. For capturing all their special moments so beautifully on film, for ever after!

It was an "extremely fine" first wedding at an incredible venue high on a hill in Comfort, Texas. It was pure magic! They even had perfect weather and a perfect and glorious sunset just in time for the first dance! We couldn't have asked for more. It couldn't have gone any better and Lara and Josh are so happy.

With our sincere gratitude and appreciation,

Helen & Richard Hailey
and
Lara & Josh Barnes.

P.S.: Josh and Lara speak so highly of you. They enjoyed working with you, and we were so glad that you were available on May 3rd, 2008!