10 Years After

Philbrick Photography

Date of Wedding: September 2003

When Brandon and Katarina met in North Conway, NH over 10 years ago, Katarina was on break from college and Brandon was working at a local music shop. Katarina recalls, “I went in a store to buy a present for my friend’s birthday when he approached me asking me about the European band I was sporting on my shirt – he said he loved the band, which happened to be my favorite too.”

A very shy Brandon enlisted a friend to ask Katarina out and she said yes, a summer romance ensued. After the summer Katarina went back home to school, but she kept in touch with Brandon. “Long distance relationships can work,” she says. Soon the couple were engaged and when Katarina got out of school she returned to the Conway area. “Brandon came up with the idea of getting married on my birthday, so I said OK. We were young – I was 23 and Brandon 21 – both just starting out, so despite his parents offering to get us whatever we wanted for our wedding day, we decided to keep it very small and private with only about 10 people of total attending. We got married right under this nice big tree at his parents’ house, followed by a lovely dinner at a restaurant in Gorham, NH.”

So the couple’s 10 year anniversary was approaching, Katarina started to think a way to commemorate their last 10 years of our life together and came with the idea of an artistic photo shoot, something different and out of the ordinary. “Since we didn’t have a big wedding the first time around, I thought it would be special to wear a beautiful wedding gown that I didn’t get to wear before. I’ve seen Jay’s (Philbrick) pictures before, so I automatically knew that he would be the one for the ‘job.’ My husband said he was up for it. However when he saw my gown, he really got into it and after our consult with Jay, my husband was very excited about the whole thing.

“I chose my dress based on the fact that it had Swarovski crystals on it and I am a huge fan. The gown is Allure Couture. I called the local bridal shop, Inspirations Bridal and Formal Wear in North Conway and they happened to have the gown in stock and I was the first one to try it on. I loved it!”
Make up and hair was done by Katarina’s friend and co worker, Maegan Reinhart.

The photos were taken outside in North Conway and Bartlett and the interior shots were in Jay’s studio. “We were both very pleased with the pictures and how they turned out; I would always recommend Jay for photos for any occasion. Anniversaries are just as special as the day when you say I do, and the pictures remind you how far you’ve come together. What’s better than to have some beautiful pictures to look at, pictures you might not have time to take on your actual wedding day?”

Katarina says the secret to staying happily married for 10 years? “Knowing that no matter how difficult life can be, at the end of the day you can’t imagine a life without each other.”