A perfect wedding
THE STEPHANIE SOUTHWICK-HICKEY & JOSHUA COX WEDDING
STORY & PHOTOS BY DWIGHT CASWELL
W
hat makes a wedding mem-
orable? Everyone who at-
tends a wedding remembers
it, of course, but what makes a
wedding stand out? Perhaps it is
an atmosphere of calm, of quiet ex-
citement, and a sense the ceremony is as inevitable as
every moment that has brought the couple to this place
and time.
It was 11 a.m. on July 18 of last year when I arrived at
the Shelburne Inn in Seaview, to photograph the wedding
of Stephanie Southwick-Hickey and Joshua Cox. It was
the kind of day that is not uncommon in July: the fog was
12 | COASTAL WEDDINGS 2015
lifting and the mist had cleared, but it remained overcast
and the temperature was in the mid-50s.
I found no bridal or maternal hysterics, no missing
groomsman, and no half-dressed bridesmaids or wardrobe
I found no bridal or maternal
hysterics, no missing groomsman
or wardrobe malfunctions.
malfunctions. Instead, I met the couple and they seemed
perfectly at ease with each other, their guests, and the day.
Although from Utah, where lots of sun is the rule, they
were not concerned about the weather. In fact, the overcast
was perfect for pictures of the couple and family mem-
bers in the lush garden of the Shelburne.
Soon we were off to the beach to take photographs in
the dunes and by the ocean, and then into our cars to drive
down to Beards Hollow at the south end of Long Beach,
where Stephanie and Josh would soon say the vows that
would forever affirm and transform their relationship.
Stephanie and Josh met at a concert of the rock
band Anberlin at House of Blues in Las Vegas. They
were both from St. George, Utah, they both liked the
same band enough to make the two-hour drive to Las
Vegas, and they both went to the same high school.