Ah, weddings.... we've all been to them, we've been involved in them... they are all so similar, yet so different... for those of us who have been to hundreds anyway... But, my favorites are those where the love between the couple is so obvious, and so overwhelming... it just makes you feel good and believe in marriage all over again.

That was the case this past Saturday... Maria and Matt were getting married. The excitement and joy leading up to the day was contagious! Smiles all around, no stress, no nervousness... just anticipation of the day when they would join their lives together.

These are the days that I love photographing weddings... as an observer... to witness the interactions, the expressions, being aware of each moment as it is happening..   I love photos, I love taking photos,  I love the emotion a photo can tell, the way the sunlight dancing across shoulders can make a photo more intimate, how a candid laughing moment can be contagious and spark additional smiles, how stolen moments between a couple can make you feel the love, how a funny face can make you want to get to know a person, how a precious moment between a mom and daughter can choke you up, and how a photo of a groom seeing his bride in her wedding dress for the first time on their wedding day can make your eyes water, how moments during special dances can still catch me off guard after so many years of seeing them. I love the forever-ness of  photos, the ability to display and recall memories, the stories.

Imagine the day.... it's a perfect summer day... no clouds, abundant sunshine, with a gazebo set against a bay backdrop for the ceremony, and the beach providing a perfect backdrop for the portraits after... A couple looking their absolute best for the occasion, family members joining together to witness the event... and joining together as extended family because of it. A mother watching her son, and a mother watching her daughter... the bride's daughter realizing that her family has just become complete... friends seeing happiness not evident before this relationship... all this is happening as guests witness this wedding.... fleeting moments that I have the privilege of capturing for them!