photographybyjonceemay.com

Every year I do a Free wedding photography Contest allowing me to give back to others.  I LOVE this contest and have been really blessed with the outcome so far.  People can enter by submitting their story.  This past year I had one Bride submit her story, and I emediately disqualified her.  WHY?!? you ask.  GOOD QUESTION!  I read her story and Knew that I was supose to do her wedding.  Because the contest has judges other than my self, I did not want to risk her not being chosen, so I disqualified her and told her she lost…But I still would take her wedding photos!  I am so Glad I did.

Meet Beth and Zizou (also known as Frantz):

Let me share Beth and Zizou’s story with you.

Zizou and I met in 2008 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I was there for a medical missions trip and he lived at the orphanage that partnered with the church I traveled down with. During our stay we quickly became friends with the boys at the orphanage. I became good friends with my translator for the week and he was the one who introduced Zizou and I. We became friends and exchanged email addresses. We emailed back and forth pretty consistently for two years-our friendship grew. In January of 2010 I decided to go back to Haiti for another trip. I was excited about the work and excited about seeing my friend Zizou again. Our first day at the medical site he was assigned as my translator for the week. This gave us ample opportunity to get to know one another and spend time together. Towards the end of the week we both had very strong feelings for one another, but reservations surfaced about a long distance relationship. We decided to remain friends and see where the future took us. (At this point I was planning on coming back to Haiti as a full time missionary) I left Haiti the afternoon of January 12, 2010. As you know, an earthquake devastated Haiti that day and completely destroyed the orphanage that he called home since 5 years of age. It shook my world too. I didn’t know if he was dead or alive and for three days I had no contact with him. When we were finally able to talk about our future we both knew that whatever happened we wanted each other in it. We made a commitment to work hard on our relationship knowing that distance is a huge issue. Most importantly, we’ve strived to put Christ at the center and we attribute that to the many obstacles we have had to overcome.

Proposal: Zizou proposed in September of 2010. I was visiting from the states with a friend and he planned a beautiful day in the mountains of Haiti. Unfortunately, the car never made it up the mountains and he proposed in what I suppose to be the nicest restaurant in all of HaitiI said yes!

Why us? : I can’t say with all certainty that we deserve to win more than any other couple. What I can say is that in May of this year I will leave and work in Haiti for 15 months unpaid. I am currently raising money to live on and have not included wedding expenses in a missionary salary. The unemployment rate in Haiti is astronomical and Zizou lost his translating job last year. Having a photographer is something special that Zizou and I consider a luxury. It is something that, on our own, we would not be able to afford. Luckily, we have friends and family that have digital cameras and are willing to get us pictures throughout our special day. However, we would love quality photographs taken to capture our sweet memories. It would be a blessing for us, thank you.

Here is a slideshow capturing The wedding!!!  It is long, but worth it.  Enjoy!

It has really been a blessing to me to meet Beth, Zizou and all their friends.

Beth and Zizou~
I Love getting to see the two of you communicate and truly Love each other. I love seeing your awesome support system, and I love seeing both of you have such a heart for the Lord. I know you will be blessed for many years to come!!!

Stay tuned for more Haiti Photos soon…and a few stories too!