If you’ve been following along with us on Instagram for the past year, you’ve no doubt seen a certain hashtag. You know the one. The hashtag that’s completely taken on a life of its own. We bet you can even guess right now what we’re talking about:

Yep, that’s right. The #DemosSandwich.

It’s one of our favorite hashtags to scroll through because once we start looking through the collection of photos of us with friends, clients, people we’ve just met (even Mr. Dave Ramsey himself!) and everyone in between, all the memories come rushing back and we just love seeing all the people God has brought into our lives.

We realized we’ve never actually explained exactly how this whole #DemosSandwich thing got started, so we thought it was about time for a little history on the whole thing.

Last March, we were on a Southwest flight from Phoenix to Las Vegas for WPPI 2014 with our sweet friend Melissa Jill. Just before takeoff, we snapped a selfie.

 When we looked at the screen, we noticed two things:

1. The legit photo bomb behind Melissa’s head.

2. The fact that we look like a three-headed monster. Straight up.

We posted it as the plane was revving up to depart with these hashtags:

#threeheadedmonster #planePHOTObomber #youcantsaybombonanairplane #bombbombbombomb

Meet the Parents anyone?

As we climbed to 30,000 feet, before Amy became #mywifethetravelcat, we were all laughing at this three-headed monster business and thought it’d be fun if we started hashtagging any selfie with Melissa and us in it, which quickly developed into, “You know, it would be so fun to have a hashtag for every time we take a photo with anyone! Then they’d all be in one place!” And that, ladies and gentleman, is how the #DemosSandwich was born.

Jordan’s mom was the first to point out that sandwiches are traditionally referred to by what’s the in the middle (like turkey or roast beef), but we reminded her that the best kind of sandwich is named after the ends. Evidence? The Oreo!

In the last 365 days or so, we’ve averaged a #DemosSandwich every other day. If only we had the same affinity for vegetables.

Most of the time we sandwich people. Sometimes we sandwich animals (like Handsome Dan, the Yale mascot or #bokehthebichpoo). Other times we sandwich cute children, like #LittleJax. Occasionally our friends turn the #DemosSandwich into a #SmooshedDemosSandwich. And, yes, we’ve even sandwiched an In-N-Out sandwich! And then of course, any time ice cream is involved it becomes a #DemosICECREAMSandwich.

Our amazing #AJbrides are even starting to add the #DemosSandwich into their official shot lists! Our most recent favorite that just popped into our inbox?

1. Bride, Groom, and Bride’s Parents

2. Bride, Groom, and Groom’s Parents

3. Obviously a #Demos Sandwich is a must.

Which brings us to one of last weekend’s weddings…

Jordan’s older brother, Nick, runs the sports ministry department at our church, which is one of the largest in America. He’s also childhood best friends with  this weekend’s groom’s sister and her husband. A few months ago, Alyssa and Nick Streff asked Nick Demos to officiate their wedding. Which meant, for the first time ever, there would be a Demos officiating and two Demoses shooting. It almost sounded like a shady Greek-mafia, family-business kinda thing. You know. Demos, Demos and Demos. You hire Amy and Jordan, you get the whole family! Nick, Nico, Nikki, and Nickolette. If you’ve ever seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding, just know that it. is. spot. on.

The week before the wedding, Alyssa returned her official shot list. We scanned it for anything out of the ordinary, and didn’t see anything, until we got to the end… and saw this:

Demos Double Decker Sandwich 

She didn’t leave a description, like on a restaurant menu, but if she had, we think it would go something like this:

A soft, sweet, white piece of toast on one side (Amy), a loud, funny (though sometimes borderline inappropriate) piece of wheat toast on the other (Jordan), a beautiful bride and groom in the middle with a smiling Pastor Nick Demos wedged in-between. 

We talked to her on the phone a few days before the wedding, and she explained her vision for a one-of-a-kind #DemosSandwich. So, on the wedding day, right after the ceremony, we grabbed Jordan’s brother and our bride and groom, and made history with the first ever #DemosDoubleDeckerSandwich. And really, it may be the last. But there may be many more. Who knows? We might pull off a triple-decker or quadruple-stack of Demoses at some point! Jordan is one of five kids, so there are a lot of us running around! What we did know, though, is that we weren’t going to miss a chance to document something so special, just in case our all-inclusive Greek Mafia Wedding Collection doesn’t take off and it never happens again, like a solar eclipse or us seeing the inside of a gym.

What we also know is that we don’t get to do life again. This is our one and only shot. There aren’t re-dos or do-overs or resetting the game because we don’t like what happened in Level One. That’s why we love the #DemosSandwich so much. Moments are fleeting. They happen, and in a blink of an eye, they’re gone. We’re photographers because we care so deeply about preserving moments that matter. And even the little moments. The ones that aren’t milestones, but put together add up to one heck of an amazing life. That’s why this little has tag means so much to us. Dave Ramsey (who, let’s not forget, has actually been sandwiched!!) says that the next five years of your life will be determined by two things. And one of those things is the people you meet. Can we get an amen? That’s why we’re comfortable without getting a second chance in life, because so many people have already touched our lives. And that list is growing all the time. So whenever we click this hashtag, and scroll through all the faces, we’re really scrolling through precious memories. That’s what makes that little idea on a plane one of our favorites of all time.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy Confessions of a Waffle Fry or To My Only Starbucks Lover