Here Comes The Bride!

The bride and groom are not teenagers.  Teenagers might have been innocent and giddy, not having a clue what marriage was really all about.  This couple was also not "ho-hum, let's get this formality over with."  No, these folks were extremely serious about the commitment they were about to make.  I have no idea what the back-story was to their lives, but I know that this was a tremendously important event about to happen.

When Angela came down the stairs in her elegant, sequined dress, hair done up by the loving hands of her mother, a single strand of pearls adorning her neck, I just knew I had to have a picture.  She accepted my request, and as her husband-to-be reached up to take her hand I began to take what turned out to be the only pictures of her wedding day.

It was a good picture, but they seemed so tense.  I lowered the camera, smiled brightly (with a hint of mischief, I hope) and said, "It's okay to smile."  A lot of the tension went out of them with that and they did give a genuine smile.

As I glanced around for another place to ask them to stand I saw a large mirror to my left.  I asked if I might take another shot from the dining room doorway to get their reflection in the mirror.  Yes, they said, that would be fine.

At this point, she began to cry.

With his eyes and his lips he reassured her that everything would be okay.  It is probably the most sincere, romantic moment I have ever had the privilege to witness.

The flowers arrive and she pins his boutonniere on.  The fragrance of the flower is amazing!  He says confidently that they are her favorite flower and he has planted some in their yard just for that reason.  This is a man in love!

And there's one last picture to take before they head off for the ceremony.  They've relaxed just a bit more. Now it seems to be more the tension of anticipation.

As the good Lord has blessed these two, He has blessed me, too.