Darcey and Dan were married at the Bellagio Resort and Casino, on November 8, 2008. I have been wanting to blog this wedding since I photographed it a week ago, but it was important for me have the time to give this wedding the attention it deserves. I want to share the inspiration behind this day, so you can better understand the decor in the photographs…
Darcey’s brother, Rafe, recently passed away while at work with nature. Her brother was a lumberjack and had an accident only weeks before Darcey and Dan’s wedding. As he would have wanted, they continued on with the wedding plans, and beautifully honored his life with every detail. This wedding was one of the most uniquely gorgeous and emotional weddings I have photographed. I was grateful to be there to document this time in their lives and to help honor the man who gave so much love and joy to Darcey and her family.
Enjoy these photos and please, take a minute to tell your loved ones how much you appreciate them. Give your husband, wife, sister, friend or neighbor a hug…for no reason, and take a moment to look around wherever you are and be grateful that you are alive to enjoy this moment!
All decor done by MGM Grand Events.
Darcy has lovingly given me permission to share her story on my blog. This is Rafe’s gift to us all to be thankful for all we have. To look around and appreciate our loved ones and our lives. Thank you Rafe, for you have touched my heart and given me a new perspective.
“My brothers name was Rafe Kozaka and was killed in an accident on September 10th 2008. He was was 33 yrs old and a logger by trade. We own 7 acres of land in the country. A storm had come through the week before and took a large limb half off a large maple tree. The way the limb was still stuck in the tree, in the logging world it is called a “widow maker” . My brother told my mother he was going to cut down the limb. I saw him the afternoon he died. I came home from ordering my wedding invitations with my grandmother. I was so glad to have had that one last conversation with him. He was killed on our land when he cut the limb. We were notified by police at 11:30 that night of the accident. My mother and I were scheduled to fly out to Las Vegas at 5:30am on the 11th to make all the final plans for the wedding. My brother had everything he wanted in life. A house in the country, lots of friends, a wonderful wife named Allyson and most importantly his 3 month old daughter Josie. She was born June 8th. Having a child was the thing he wanted most in life and he would have been the best dad. He was a strong man with a sensitive and understanding heart. They estimate that between 800 and 1000 people attended his service. My brother was thrilled to be going to my wedding in Vegas and was going to wear a tux. This was big because he lived in his logger boots, suspenders on his jeans and a smelly tee or flannel shirt. He was usually covered in saw dust and rolled his own cigarettes. He was a very unique individual. I learned after his death that he had told my mother that he wanted to walk me down the aisle. That is the reason I walked down the aisle alone. As my brothers body was carried out of the church the song ” Highway Man” was playing. It is on the legend of Johnny Cash CD and is sung in parts by Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson.
Each verse is sung by these artists and they each tell a story of being killed in different ways and how they all will return. My brother had told his wife Allyson a few days before his death that this was his song. He will continue to touch the people he loved and who loved him. We have a great set of pictures that Allyson took of Rafe and Josie a week before he died. She will be able to see how much he loved her when she gets older. Sorry about a huge amount of babble. I know you just asked his name. Thanks for letting me talk about him. I miss him soooooooo.” Darcey Robinson