JD & Emily // Lawrence, Kansas

Back in July, I got a note from JD.

"...It fits right in with how my fiance, Emily, & I feel weddings should be remembered - not as an event, but as a marker of the beginning of a lifelong journey. However corny, we know that in reality it's not about the wedding, it's about the marriage, and we desire someone to document this special time with the same eye."

Without sensationalizing the whole thing too much, JD & Emily are the reason I enjoy documenting weddings so much. Plain & simple, straight up. The words he said - in his very first email to a stranger, no less - just aren't said all that often, you know? And while initially reading these first couple of paragraphs he dropped into my inbox, I knew immediately, beyond anything else, that not only did I want to watch him marry his bride, but that I needed to watch him marry his bride.

To make pictures of feelings & memories & stories like JD & Emily's is a downright pleasure, & an even bigger honor. They're the types that seemingly teach you a life lesson simply by letting you into their lives for a day. Here's the beautifully cold - and eventually snowy - day on which they wed.