The groom is a very special measure of the wedding day. It’s a telling thing when it’s wall to wall smiles from start to finish. When it’s not just a first look or a ceremony, but it’s in each moment, in each time you see them together. And that was Ryan. That was Ryan around Kristen, herself so full of life and so present. And even though you really couldn’t ask for more, sometimes, you just get more – a perfect day in the open air finishing with a perfect night day in an open barn. That’s how you top things off. Brilliant.

Some days surf a razor thin crest. A trickle of rain, a hint of a cloud, starting on lush grounds, Christine and Rob’s day threaded the needle, but hit all the notes with perfect pitch. It was beautiful. It wasn’t a day that would be stopped by the rain – there wasn’t even a pause. It was rich and wonderful and joyous. The clouds parted, as if on command, right as they rolled into the venue with big smiles and that type of look you only get on a day surrounded by everyone you love. I couldn’t have been happier than being there to see it. This is what weddings are about.

When Carissa reached out to me, there was something very personal and intimate that caught my eye. I couldn’t say exactly what it was. Maybe it was the words or the story or the way they put it all together. But you learn about a couple – who they are, what they do, and why they do it – you learn a little about what makes them tick – that he’s a writer and she a designer, that they’re both artists, not just in title, but as a through line that compels their living – you give back and share of yourself as it all goes down, and it reminds you about the power not just of the image, but, really, of connection itself. Of being there with two people, who let you see them and know them – that’s what life is all about. Ryan shared a quote from Ubuntu philosophy during our time together: I am, because you are. And aren’t we all?

Sometimes, it all comes down to a single look. Or a way of looking. You spend a lot of time as a wedding photographer watching over people’s body language. What are they feeling? How are they moving? Over the course of a day, you start to put together the pieces of the puzzle. Or maybe the pieces of your puzzle – as you realize certain things aren’t just how a person moves – they are the person. Or the relationship. And for this one day, that one look came from Cara, arching her neck, tilted backwards, just to the side, with a big, broad smile and a hint of palpable tension – the type you get when you’re so excited, you can barely contain it – as she stared right at AJ. That told me everything. This was one happy couple.