When Bennett and I started dating, we discovered we'd both struggled with feeling truly, intentionally connected to a community that existed beyond ourselves. We're both introverted (and maybe a little socially awkward) and diving head-first into groups of people isn't our greatest strength. At various points in our lives, we felt a gap emerge where a consistent, reliable support system seemed to be missing.

But when we look at this photo, we are instantly taken back to an incredibly profound moment in our life together when that gap disappeared. We had just walked in the door to join our reception, and as we made our way to the center of the room, the cheering and applause from our guests was overwhelming. It went on and on and we felt suspended in time, feeling the emotion well up as we watched our friends and family guide us into marriage with nothing short of elation.

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY MEMORY, WE FELT COMPLETELY HELD, NURTURED, AND UNCONDITIONALLY SUPPORTED BY A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO KNEW US WELL AND WERE COMMITTED TO BEING ON OUR TEAM.

We love this photo - and we are deeply grateful to Nate and Jaclyn for capturing it - because it reminds us that we are not alone in this life. Our marriage will shift and grow over time, as will the fabric of our community. We will experience tough losses among our loved ones (and already have, even since this photo was taken). But our spirits let out a healing sigh when we relive this moment and realize that we are valued and sustained far beyond the deepest desire of our hearts for true belonging.

As we reflected on this photo, Bennett said he remembered thinking this experience felt so unique and special - that he'd never before seen such a gesture of wild, joyful celebration for two people on their wedding day. We are so, so proud of the people who were there that day for showing us what love really looks like.

I honestly don’t remember what we were feeling or experiencing at the moment but looking at it now, it tells a pretty awesome story. It looks like we were in mid conversation about something funny… who knows.

We hardly ever look back at our photos because of how busy our schedules are but when i look at those images now, particular the one of us crossing the streets, it reminds how difficult life can be and the challenges that we both have faced together. Some of those challenges we’ve failed at and some we succeeded in overcoming. but above all, it reminds us that no matter what happens, we always have each other’s back and we’ll always help each other cross that road together.

This one of us crossing the road grew on us over time. 

I THINK WE STARTED TO LOVE IT BECAUSE IT COULD’VE EASILY BEEN A PHOTO THAT COULD’VE TAKEN PLACE ANYWHERE AT ANY POINT IN OUR LIVES. AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS IT’S ONLY A WEDDING PHOTO BECAUSE WE HAD OUR WEDDING ATTIRE ON…OTHERWISE, IT’S JUST A PHOTO OF US TOGETHER. AND THAT’S PROBABLY WHY WE LOVE IT SO MUCH. BECAUSE WE SEE PAST THE WEDDING CRAP AND JUST SEE OURSELVES. 

Damn I hope that makes sense.

We were in the middle of our first dance and had valiantly been trying to be romantic and keep our cool. But eventually we surrendered to our genuine, irreverent nature and I just couldn’t handle the lovey-dovey-ness of it all. It was a moment of pure partnership on a crazy day, giving into who we were and how we did life. I love how close we are in the picture and how we’re clearly just having a moment of fun together.

LOOKING AT THE PHOTO NOW, I AM SO ENCOURAGED TO SEE THAT WE STILL LAUGH THAT WAY, WITH ME LEANING INTO MICHAEL OUT OF WEAKNESS FROM LAUGHING AT A RIDICULOUSLY OFF-COLLAR JOKE HE TOLD OR SOMETHING EMBARRASSING OUR SON SAID IN PUBLIC.

Our true natures haven’t changed all that much and that makes me happy. Originally I was drawn to the photos that featured us in a more staged setting because wedding photos are one of the few times you get all dolled up and can be a bit narcissistic. I remember checking The Image is Found blog on our honeymoon to see if any pictures had been posted yet and just being amazed that those people were us. But as time has gone on, it’s the photos that tell our story that have found their way closer to my heart.

We’ve always connected with this image but as time has grown the appreciation has grown deeper. The way in which it captures so many raw emotions in a single frame is why we cherish it, and also why we continue to be so grateful for the opportunity to work with you and Jaclyn on our wedding day.

This image captures a moment right after Spencer and his mother’s dance. To everyone’s complete surprise, the two had choreographed a shag… and nailed it. It was upbeat, uplifting and a sweet moment between mother and son. And again, they simply nailed it which made it that much better. This image was captured immediately after they finished. Everyone, still in shock, illustrated their reactions perfectly. High fives were deservedly swapped, tears were wiped and big smiles were plastered all over faces.

THIS MOMENT, LIKE SO MANY OTHERS, IS WHAT WE WANT TO REMEMBER ABOUT OUR WEDDING. IT WAS A DAY THAT BROUGHT DISTANT FRIENDS AND FAMILY TOGETHER TO EXPERIENCE THE START OF OUR JOURNEY. THOSE FRIENDS AND FAMILY GOT TO KNOW US A LITTLE BETTER THAT EVENING, AS ALL GUARDS WERE TRULY LET DOWN AND WE SIMPLY CHOSE TO BE US, WHICH TO THIS DAY WE STILL DO NOT REGRET.

Like many others I’m sure, choosing one image is difficult. Each part of the day was special to us – from enjoying time with our closest friends, to our first look (the only time alone that day), to our vows being shared, even to holding cold Bud Lights up to our head after surviving a heat-inducing ceremony, and of course to the dance floor where we could have stayed all night.  We still get lost looking through photos and that’s exactly why we love them so much - because they have the ability to transfer us back in time to a day that we will forever cherish. We cannot say it enough – we couldn’t be more grateful for finding two individuals who were there to capture our day, our moment, and ourselves in raw form. 

This is the image that sits above our fireplace. When we first looked through all of our incredible photos from the day, this was the one that made both of us inhale.

THERE WAS OUR WEDDING. THERE WAS OUR LOVE. THERE WAS EVERYTHING IN ONE PHOTO.

The time leading up to our wedding was a bit stressful (shocker). We lost our caterer. We lost our reception space. And both of us almost lost our minds. But once we got to that ceremony, with our all our friends and family around us, none of that mattered. We both say that the ceremony was our favorite part of the day. This photo was taken right after two of our closest friends (the officiants) announced we were married. We love the faces of our friends and family in the background, cheering on our new life together. But most of all we love that it’s focused on just the two of us, full of passion and relief and joy.  

PLUS, WE STILL KISS LIKE THAT TODAY.

We see this image constantly because we have it hanging in our living room on a giant canvas. When we look at this photo, it makes us both feel so happy, knowing that our wedding day was everything we dreamt it would be. Looking back, we will never forget how we felt and how genuinely excited we were to finally be married to one another. For both of us, the meaning of this image has grown over time. Although we have always loved this photo, the significance has grown just like the rest of our photos, because now we have a greater understanding of the value of them.

LIFE GETS HARD AND HAS DEFINITELY THROWN US SOME CURVEBALLS, BUT LOOKING AT THIS PHOTO, MAKES US BOTH FEEL INCREDIBLE JOY. THINKING BACK TO YEARS AGO, WE NEVER COULD HAVE IMAGINED WHAT LIFE WOULD BE LIKE, BUT THROUGH IT ALL, WE LOOK AT THIS PHOTO AND REMEMBER THAT THE GOOD FAR OUTWEIGHS THE TRIALS. 

This photo captures our love and excitement to be husband and wife. It holds so much meaning to us and truly brings us back to our wedding day and exactly how we felt. Before we were married, our wedding photos had a monetary value, but now, years down the road, they have turned into something priceless and irreplaceable. 

Looking back on this photo, we can feel the hot, dry summer wind in our faces. Certainly that’s what Nate and Jaclyn remember about this moment too haha! Its a very familiar feeling to us-this hot gust of wind. Not just here on our wedding day, but on countless summer days we spent together growing up in Las Vegas. A warm familiarity that we have come to find in each other too. Home!

THERE ARE A HANDFUL OF MOMENTS ON YOUR WEDDING DAY WHERE YOU FEEL TRULY ALONE WITH YOUR LOVE, AND THIS WAS A SPECIAL ONE FOR US. THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN RIGHT AFTER WE GOT MARRIED. AWAY FROM EVERYTHING, MELTED INTO EACH OTHER IN REVERENT APPRECIATION FOR OUR SWEET PAST AND HOPEFUL JOURNEY TO A FUTURE ON OUR OWN.

High school sweet-hearts together for the first time. A pivotal moment, and yet a quiet and peaceful one. We love this photo because it’s the two of us in the city where we met, fell in love, and got married. It’s the start of our own life together. 

As we reflect on why....You know, weddings are pretty crazy, if you think about it. No matter how much planning you put into a wedding (or life!), nothing will prepare you for the unknown. Some of our favorite examples from that evening: drunk family friend/priest who has to be reminded by the bride and groom to have us say our vows. Bridesmaids going "rogue." Groomsmen wearing wrong pants or falling into a duck pond before ceremony. Drunk uncle passing out in the middle of dinner. Not one, but two relatives wearing white. Needless to say, there is no preparing you for any of it. Yet, this photo is the most meaningful because it’s a great reminder of what really matters in a marriage: each other.

NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, THERE IS NO STOPPING THE IMPERFECTIONS. SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL PUT ON YOUR BEST OUTFITS AND JUMP UP AND DOWN ON A BED WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND, THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE.

Some back story, we really felt like our wedding symbolized a lot of things for us, besides just our marriage vows. We had (and still have) a core group of friends that we were so close to in the years leading up to June 2015, and our wedding was soon after we had all graduated college and started to look our different ways in life- moving away from Nashville, getting married, grad school, or starting adult jobs and lives.

IN SOME WAYS, WE HAD BUILT THIS DAY UP IN OUR HEADS AS THE LAST TIME ALL OUR FRIENDS WOULD BE TOGETHER FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

The last thing we did on our wedding day was play a song called Rivers and Roads by the Head and the Heart. It was a spur of the moment request for a song that had become a kind of anthem for our group. We sang it together often, in cars, in our homes, and when we all saw the Head and the Heart together. It was our story of moving on in life and growing up. The song started to play and suddenly the dance floor became a circle, as our friends and family linked arms, and sang along. With wine in our systems and love in our hearts, the end of the song "Rivers and roads, rivers and roads, rivers till I reach you" became a very emotional thing to repeat. You captured a lot of photos, and my dad had it video'd on his selfie stick, but the image that is burned into my mind is this one photo. Us, our best friends, all in a row, some smiling, some grimacing the words, and others balling their eyes out. 

IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF OUR SEASON OF “FRIENDS” AS COLLEGE KIDS, AND THE BEGINNING OF A LONG JOURNEY THAT WOULD HOPEFULLY ALWAYS LEAD US BACK TO EACH OTHER. WE WILL FOREVER BE GRATEFUL FOR THIS MEMORY, AND WHAT THIS IMAGE REPRESENTS TO US.

We have a bajillion beautiful, fun, and creative images of the two of us but this one is our favorite. Initially, I loved it because it reflects both exactly how we were feeling as well as who we are as a couple in general. The stressful parts of the wedding planning, logistics, etc were finally over and we were about to have possibly the best evening of our (non-parent) life. I had the good kind of butterflies and you can see them. Also, I was trying to give him a kiss while walking and I'm not the most graceful person (especially in a heavy dress) and he was supporting my weight with his arm so I didn't fall. He holds me constantly. When I was pregnant, it was almost creepy. I'm just that clumsy.  

I ASSUME HE MADE A JOKE BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE DO - HE'S SILLY AND I LAUGH AT HIM.  I LOVE HOW OUR EYES ARE CLOSED.  I LOVE THE MOVEMENT.  I LOVE HOW IT WAS COMPLETELY SPONTANEOUS.

Looking back, its meaning has grown even more over time. My daughters ask me about why I'm smiling and I love to tell them.

Each year, right around the time of our anniversary, we like to browse through the photos we've captured for the year (to make an anniversary album present, think about what we've experienced, and set a vision for the year). We also like to revisit our photos from our wedding day while we're at it just to see how far we've come. (This year, we were able to show the photos to our two-year-old daughter!!) As we browsed through the photos, the one that consistently brings us back to what matters most is this one- when we made our vows to one another. 

Over theyears, the intensity and affection of the honeymoon stage have certainly settled and we've seen the whole spectrum of each others’ true colors- so much so that sometimes we jokingly countdown to the 7th year of marriage (according to research, there's a 7 year itch where the 7th year of marriage is believed to be the hardest). Each day, we fall short of our vows- our expectations and selfishness make it difficult to love the other person. Yet, before we fall asleep each night, we choose to love each other through a vision of marriage far deeper and stronger than our own self-centeredness.

MARRIAGE IS HARD. MARRIAGE AND PARENTING, EVEN HARDER. BUT WE ALWAYS COME BACK TO THIS MOMENT WHEN THINGS GROW DIFFICULT.

The vows we made before God and loved ones, for dependence on him more than hope in circumstances. So though the days are hard, we look back to this moment and experience the beauty of Christ at the forefront of our marriage, and we are led into peace and grace to change. 

This is our wedding photo. It was taken just after our first look, which we got to do right before the wedding. It was so special and perfect. In that moment, all we felt was pure bliss. We couldn't believe that the day was finally here, and I remember wiping away tears on Matt's face, hence my hands on his face. I know it's cliche, but I really felt like we were the only two in the room. Well you know what I mean. Both of us waited, for that one person to completely give ourselves to, and we knew this moment was the start of our beautiful life together. And here we are, years later — three kids, numerous moves, job after job, friends coming into and out of our lives. What remains? Our love. Yes, we have been through more than we ever thought we would be, life is crazy like that. But we would do it all over again in a heartbeat. This photo brings us back to what truly matters. Each other.

NO ONE ELSE, NOTHING ELSE, NO OTHER OPINIONS, NO CRAZY BS LIFE WILL MOST DEFINITELY BRING, NONE OF IT MATTERS. AS LONG AS WE HAVE EACH OTHER, AND STILL HAVE THIS SAME LOOK IN OUR EYES, IT'S ALL WORTH IT.

The reason we chose you both is because your wedding photos consistently brimmed over with wonderful aesthetics chock full of authentic  smiles, joy, spontaneity… which leads me to our favorite photo.

HOLDING HANDS, ALL THE HAPPINESS (RELIEF!) AND FLAT-OUT EXCITEMENT AT WHAT WAS TO BE!  

I can tell you at that very moment (well that day) we were both uber-excited about our dream house we just purchased (two years to find and close the deal!), the honeymoon we were about to embark on (a rented car, Normandy, Provence, Paris… yowzer!!!)… Oh and a baby we discovered we would be having only three months after that very favorite of ours photo was taken!  A wild 2013 for sure and definitely what we see in that extraordinary moment every time we look at that photo on our living room wall. We think it’s an amazing photo with great memories attached to it, so kudos, an electronic hug, and BIG thanks again.

We love this photo because we know when this was taken: during John's best man speech. One of the highlights of our wedding day was the speeches from our bests, John and Yoojin. Their words were so kind, loving, touching, encouraging, tear-inducing, and, of course, embarrassing. These dear friends have been with us through so much, and even more since our wedding day.

CLOSE FRIENDSHIPS LIKE THESE AREN’T EASY TO COME BY AND TAKE A LOT OF TIME AND CARE TO MAINTAIN AND NOURISH. WE CONTINUE TO FEEL SO BLESSED TO HAVE THEM IN OUR LIVES AND LOVE HOW THIS PHOTO CAPTURES ALL THE JOY WE SHARED!

ON YOUR WEDDING DAY, IT IS SO EASY TO GET CAUGHT UP IN THE LITTLE THINGS, THE BIG THINGS, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.   

It is easy to get frustrated trying to make sure everything is going according to "the plan."  It is easy to get caught up in the smiles, laughs, and joy of your friends and family.   It is easy to forget the most important reason you are there.  Each other.  

THAT IS, UNLESS, YOU TAKE A MOMENT.  THIS IMAGE CAPTURES THAT MOMENT FOR US.  

It represents our past:  our thoughts of the years of love and devotion for each other that brought us to this day, exchanged with a glance. It represents the present:  a fleeting singular point in time where nothing else in the world matters but us, brought forever into the now by this image. It represents our future:  that we will live each of our moments yet to come in this beautiful world, forever in each others arms.