Dani and Jordan’s wedding was packed. Packed with love, joy, fun. Packed with emotion and family. Packed with so many of the things that make for a killer wedding. It’s easy to look at the surface of a wedding, through the images, and decide whether it was “a good wedding” or not. There’s an entire industry built on that idea. I’ve had the privilege of seeing hundreds of weddings, and the most important component to a great wedding has nothing to do with Pinterest, a curated look, or being on-trend. It’s not perfect weather, perfect details, or the perfect dress. It’s love. A love that is so deep that it starts to feel like the word doesn’t quite do justice to what you have. Saying love made their wedding amazing might sound trite, but sometimes a cliche is cliche because it’s true and universal. If you want everything to be as perfect as possible, make a plan and go get it! Your wedding can be anything you want it to be, just pack it with love and have fun with all of the pieces.

I’ve known these (not) kids since they were in high school. I’ve photographed both of them before, individually, and watching them grow together as a couple is a reminder of what it was like to be young and in love. It’s been over 20 years since I married my wife, over 11 since we had kids, and sometimes the early 20’s feel like another lifetime ago. One of the things I appreciate about photographing weddings is witnessing these moments that almost feel like flashbacks to my own earlier days. This isn’t meant to say that marriage is better when you’re young. Marriage is just as good, if not better, and deeper than it ever was when in my early 20’s. It’s just fun to see youthful bliss, for the same reasons that sentiment can find its way to you through a yearbook, an old song, or a movie. Nostalgia is powerful, and if you let it, it might just help you practice gratitude. High five to the kids who keep us all young.