Newest Addition to April Maura Photography: Marriage Series Author

The big WHY on why I photograph weddings…I love marriage! The whole purpose of life is to love and the idea that God created a beautiful union of marriage for us to enjoy is beautiful. The details and story line of how a man and woman fall in love and that love stories are individually written for each couple is incredible! Not only is the love story of the couple falling in love divine but the after the wedding day, the everyday commitments and actions of showing their spouse love.

Our culture is saturated with ideas of marriage: Hollywood, romance novels, chick flicks and what God says. My heart is to shine light on cultivating healthy marriages, from the courting, to engagement, and then to the marriage.

I am honored to partner with Taylor, another woman who shares the same heart I have for fostering healthy marriages. In this marriage series she will share preparation and everyday marital wisdom by reflecting on books and interviewing couples. I am excited to introduce you to the author of the April Maura Marriage Series: Taylor! Read more below to learn what’s coming to the blog!

Blog | Taylor

Photo by: Coley Kuyper

 

About Taylor:

El Chorro Wedding Photos| Scottsdale Wedding Photographer | Arizona Wedding Photographer | Tempe Wedding Photographer | April Maura Photography | www.aprilmaura.com_0142

1.) What do you want to accomplish with this Marriage Series?

Marriage is the most intimate earthly relationship we can ever have. It can also be one of the hardest relationships we can have because of that same reason. The process of two different people becoming one, is in fact a mystery. Pouring into your own marriage takes energy, time and commitment, and can sometimes make you feel a bit self-conscious about the issues your marriage might be facing. Oh! Aren’t we all facing different issues! But what if pouring into our marriages first, means we get to experience even more joy? More beauty? Doesn’t that sound lovely? The joy and flourishment of marriage is more precious than any earthly treasure we can find. But how? How do we find that kind of treasure in our marriages in the midst of this crazy ride called life?

My heart for these next several months as we go on this Marriage journey together, is to write and share stories with the rawness of both, challenges and joys of marriage, drawing inspiration and advice directly from the book, The Meaning of Marriage, by Tim Keller. I will provide you with practical insight from Tim Keller, to help us better understand how we can experience the true joy of marriage in a way that makes us flourish and truly live abundantly. 

El Chorro Wedding Photos| Scottsdale Wedding Photographer | Arizona Wedding Photographer | Tempe Wedding Photographer | April Maura Photography | www.aprilmaura.com_0144

2.) How do you think blogging with April Maura Photography will help you on the path to reaching your goals?

First of all I have to personally thank April for this wonderful opportunity that has already been a blessing to my husband and I. I am so thankful for the chance to be able to partner with a gifted and sweet-hearted person first and photographer second. She has such a genuine heart to encourage marriages and help them thrive through her gifting of photography. Not to mention that her photos are amazing. She captures the pure beauty of love between two people.

When I first saw the job posting from April about being in need of a Volunteer Blogger, my eyes were instantly wide-eyed and bright. There was a burst of excitement bubbling in me thinking, “wow, what a perfect fit this would be!” I love writing… period. I also love to share stories and tell stories through writing. There is so much joy in each of our stories and especially in our stories of marriage. We are all on our own adventure of learning, processing, “maturing” and growing. And my story is no different. With this platform and opportunity to work with April Maura Photography, the passion I have for writing will grow and become a springboard to bring personal stories to life, providing hope and light to our situations. Our ability as people to relate and connect to one another, through our joys, our trials, our quirkiness and our mistakes, is so powerful for us to enjoy this life and to know; we are accepted and loved for being exactly who we are at this very moment. I have a dream to be able to write words of rest, assurance, and worthiness at the exact point of life when confusion, wandering, and lost-ness can feel so real.

This experience will only grow my skills as I learn how to inspire you the reader, and to better understand what you value. There are personal goals of writing, but still unsure of what that looks like. I believe I will acquire experience and the proper writing skills to communicate through creative writing. I have no idea where this first opportunity is going to take me, but I am absolutely enjoying this process of what is becoming in this present moment.

El Chorro Wedding Photos| Scottsdale Wedding Photographer | Arizona Wedding Photographer | Tempe Wedding Photographer | April Maura Photography | www.aprilmaura.com_0141

3.) What are two interesting facts about you that people wouldn’t guess when they first meet you?

  1. I was born on a leap year. February 29th.
  2. I played in the WNBA.

El Chorro Wedding Photos| Scottsdale Wedding Photographer | Arizona Wedding Photographer | Tempe Wedding Photographer | April Maura Photography | www.aprilmaura.com_0143

4.) Please share the love story God wrote you:

Jordan and I met on a basketball court “surprisingly,” since we were both basketball players. We were trying to be set up, but both of us weren’t jumping at it. We were both pretty content with where we were at in our lives. He started training to play basketball overseas, and I just got released from the Phoenix Mercury.

One the day when we happened to be on the basketball court at the same time, of course I couldn’t believe what a good-looking red head he was. He wasn’t just any red head. I was pretty interested from the get go, and Jordan played more of the, “I’m going to act not so interested, but I’m going to ask her to lunch” route. He made some of his jokes in his own humor towards me, and of course instantly made me laugh. He took me out to lunch and next thing you know, we were there for four hours talking. Talked about A LOT. From that one conversation, I was hooked. There was something different in this man, and there was something that intrigued me more than anyone I have ever met.

We were long distance for majority of our relationship. God led us both to play basketball in Australia while we dated. Jordan was playing in Perth, and I was playing in Brisbane. The flight across Australia is a 5-hour flight, so we still hardly saw each other, but committed to talking to each other every day and staying in the relationship. We got to see each other 3 times during our 6-month period in Australia. On the third visit, I flew from Brisbane to Perth in September. A day or two after I arrived, he took me to my favorite place, the beach. The day was a crazy stormy day. Winds gusting and blowing, rain on the verge of happening at any moment. But he still took me out onto the white sand as the waves crashed rapidly and loudly! He started to talk about the reasons why he loved me, and why he wanted to marry me. And that’s when it hit me that he was about to propose. I could not believe it. I was so surprise and shocked. As he got down on one knee, quite literally, the clouds parted and the sun rayed down on us for five minutes during the time Jordan proposed and as he pulled out from his jacket a new Bible for me with my future name on it, “Taylor Wild.” We have treasured that moment in our hearts, as an assurance of God’s covering over our marriage. Shortly after he proposed, the hail came falling down. We were engaged for 6 months and got married at an intimate setting surrounded by our closest family and friends. On February 2, 2013 our “wild” love journey together started and we have been traveling the world together for the past three years.

We look forward to diving into the meaning of marriage and sharing this journey with you!

Grace and Peace,

April and Taylor

Note: We do not hold degrees in psychology, nor are we doctors, but people who have a heart to share wisdom. 

Photo credits:

Reception Venue: EL CHORRO WEDDINGS 

Photographer: APRIL MAURA PHOTOGRAPHY

Second Shot with RISO STUDIO

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