Deep Breaths…. it has taken me almost a full year to digest the moments of this day. It is a story that no one ever wants to live out. A story of love and loss. This amazing and beautiful bride has been and always will be dear to our heart. She is bright and bubbly and has a heart of gold. To see her in heartache and pain was difficult to document. She and her then-fiance were only a short few months away from their planned wedding day. But they quickly realized that her dad had a limited amount of time left before cancer took him away. With no hesitation at all, we volunteered our time to photograph the day. By her side was an amazing team of loving friends and family. With less than a week to plan, a beautiful backyard wedding took place so that her dad could walk her down the aisle. Still to this day, I am amazed by his strength to make it through. The fact that he could barely make it out of bed shows you just how much He loved his one and only daughter. There was so much love and even laughter during the father/daughter “first look”. There was talk of beautiful memories and laughter as he was cracking jokes. There were words of approval as he spoke of how proud he was of his daughter. I was beyond THANKFUL to have Samantha from Pear and Thorn Productions there videoing the entire thing. There are some things that photography can’t do.
If there is anything that I was reminded of during this day, and would urge families to remember, is that a beautiful photo is much more than the perfect dress or venue. The perfect photo is one that shows you surrounded by loved ones. Because in the end, that is all that truly matters.
