We love stories. Every couple has one. One of our favorite parts about being wedding photographers is meeting with newly engaged couples for the first time and hearing theirs. The newness of it. The freshness of it. The excitement of it. We can’t get enough of it! But, at the end, our couples always ask, “What about you?” So, we decided to share our story, too. From the high school bleachers to the end of the aisle, here’s our story from “I noticed you” to “I do.”

Part 1: Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
Part 2: You + Me = Us
Part 3: Friday Night Lights
Part 4: The Little Black Dress
Part 5: The First Kiss
Part 6: The First “I Love You”
Part 7: Senior Prom
Part 8: Graduation Night
Part 9: Saying Goodbye
Part 10: College Days
Part 11: She Said Yes!
Part 12: Our Wedding Day

I heard a knock at the door. It was our wedding photographer. “Come in,” I said. Through the mess on the floor, he slipped into my getting ready room to deliver the news I’d been waiting for. “She’s ready for you,” he said. I took a deep breath, stood up straight, and walked toward the mirror for one final look before our first look. My tightly gelled hair and chocolate brown tie didn’t need adjusting, but I adjusted them all the same. It was our wedding day, and I was just moments away from seeing my bride for the first time. The bright lights stared back at me as I pulled down on my vest. “Are you ready?” my best man asked, as he helped my arms into one coat sleeve and then the other. “I’ve never been more ready,” I replied. He walked me through the dark church corridor. We stopped at the inside of the main double doors. “This is your moment, man. I love you,” he said. I hugged him, he opened the door for me, and I walked out to see my bride for the first time on our wedding day.

Photo Credit: David Blakeman

The single best decision we made on our wedding day was doing a first look. People told me that I’d regret it, insisted that I’d miss the moment of seeing her for the first time at the end of the aisle, and cautioned that I could never get it back. The truth is, I got that moment twice. I cried when I saw Amy for our first look and I cried even harder when she came down the aisle for the first time. It didn’t ruin that big moment. Not by a long shot. It made it better. It made the whole day better. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

The rest of our wedding day blew by in a whirlwind of family and friends, laughing and crying, and toasting and dancing. It was the best day of our life, and images like these hang in our home and help us relive it every single day. Even though this is the final chapter in “The Story of Us” series, it was just the first chapter of another great adventure.

If you’ve liked this series, then you’ll love The Pink Slip Files…