I remember childhood days with my sister and our cousins, Jessica and Kayla, like they were yesterday. Singing songs we'd collaborated to write in the prime of our pre-teen years--smack in the middle of our first "serious" crushes and heartbreaks, you could envision something along the lines of Taylor Swift or the Spice Girls -- "If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends. Make it last forever--friendship never ends!" Gruesome to look back on, but I'm convinced that we were the main attraction at family holidays and reunions... epic performances standing on picnic tables and around the fireplace--glowing from the applause of our aunts and grandparents as we bravely performed our latest hit.
Memories with family are some of my most precious gifts in life.
We kept in touch here-and-there over the years, mostly with quick catch-ups on summer visits to Michigan. Life changes so quickly. School, serious relationships, career plans... each summer held a new update for all of us. I remember the early years of Jessica and Stephen. I knew him only through five minute snippets of conversation every few summers or so, but I knew early on that she loved him dearly.
It wasn't too long ago that a beautiful shift in their relationship took place. Without warning and yet perfectly orchestrated (as is His method in most cases), God grabbed a hold on Stephen's heart. He got his attention--earned his affection through His sweet whispers of grace and forgiveness. Life was new. And he wanted to share this new life hand-in-hand with Jessica. Jessica's heart for the Lord--that which formed at a young age--was reawakened. Their love was completely different than it had ever been before. The lens through which they viewed each other was saturated with the Love of Christ. And if you know Stephen and Jessica, you know that this life shift has been authentic and contagious. Their love for each other--their love for Christ--is just something that cannot be contained.
It is a beautiful thing.
When we arrived in Michigan on that Thursday, the leaves were bright, but the wind and cold promised bare branches by the end of the weekend. It was my first wedding of the year where the groomsmen didn't complain about being hot in their layered suits. It was my first wedding of the year with blue hands and a pink nose--and I loved it. Being my first fall in Michigan since we moved away in 1998, I was determined to get some portraits of Stephen and Jessica with the bright yellow fall leaves. And that I did. You can almost feel the crisp air in the pictures.
//
Stephen and Jessica,
It was an absolute honor to be a part of your wedding day. Hearing your story first-hand, seeing it culminate with family and friends--it was as exciting of a day as it could have been. Several things I know for sure: 1. You have a family who loves you. Be it parents, siblings, cousins, aunts/uncles, grandparents... you are immersed in love and support. 2. You love each other. You can see it when you look at each other. You can know it from the journey you've endured. And like baptism is to salvation--you made your commitment known to all on your wedding day. And, 3. You are loved by God, who is your Sustaining Grace and Highest Example. May your days be marked by a love like Christ's--through His strength alone, may you be a covering for one another, a strong place and a place of rest in-one, and may you operate in grace yet sharpen one another as iron-to-iron. I believe in you as a team and cannot wait to see the many who are given new life because of your story.
Love you.
//
It's a good thing I don't shoot too many family weddings, or you would all be apt to read a novel-sized prelude to every blog post.
Alas, here are a few of my favorites from Stephen and Jessica's wedding.
//
Enjoy, friends.
