We were elementary school teachers for four years. Amy taught fourth grade. Jordan taught fifth grade. We were Mr. and Mrs. Demos. For a few of those years, Jordan’s fifth graders were his home room, but he taught history to the sixth, seventh and eighth graders, too. Which meant, for an hour every day, some of his favorite former students were back in his classroom again –– and he loved it. Seeing they way they’d grown. How they’d changed. Just catching up on life. It was a special hour every day because Jordan felt like he was reminded of the past, connected to the present, while still part of the future. That’s exactly how we feel about doing maternity sessions for our AJ Brides.
It’s a surreal, full circle, kind of moment. Because we remember the first time their name popped into our inbox. We remember the way they looked at each other, sitting across from us at Starbucks, dreaming about their wedding day. We remember their engagement session, coaching them into poses for the first time, and reassuring them that they looked beautiful. Because they did. Because they do. Because they are. We remember Skyping a few days before their wedding. With wet hair. And pajamas. We remember being with them in the anxious moments before they saw each other for the first time on their wedding day, and hugging them and telling them we loved them at the end of the night. We remember watching their honeymoon adventures on social media, and their email telling us they paid for Internet at their hotel, in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night, just to see their pictures. And we remember when their name popped back into our inbox not too many years later, asking us to be part of the next chapter in their life.
Honestly, it’s been one of the most rewarding seasons of our career. Because even though we’re photographing the same two people we photographed before, we’re getting to photograph a brand new type of love between our AJ Brides and AJ Guys.
Kierstin and Andy, from your engagement session in the rain to your beautiful blush wedding, we’ve honestly felt so blessed to be at your side every step of the way. Thank you for trusting us with some of the biggest moments of your life. We love you both and can’t wait to meet your baby girl when she arrives in a few months. She doesn’t even know how lucky she is to have parents like you.
