We did something wild.

We walked into a wedding day…

…without our cameras 🤯

I know.

Insane, right?

For one night only, we left all our gear at home and traded our memory cards for making actual memories with our family at my cousin’s wedding, and honestly, it was amazing.

It’s been years since we’ve been to a wedding where we weren’t worried about:

⏰ Timeline delays

☀️ The position of the sun

📸 Whether Uncle Bob was going to sneak in front of us with his big ol’ iPad right during the first kiss 😅

Plot twist: WE were Uncle Bob this time 🤣

But we had a really good reason to break every photographer code and pull out our phones mid-ceremony.

Because our firstborn, Beckett, was walking down the aisle… as the ring bearer.

Cue the tears 🥹

It was one of those slow-motion moments where the music swells, everything else fades, and all you can see is your baby boy, dressed to the nines, looking so grown up.

And just like that, my mind was back in time…

To when I was pregnant with him, shooting weddings with swollen feet, a camera strap across my bump, and a timeline in one hand.

(Yep! I wrote down some of my favorite pregnant wedding photographer survival tips if you’re in that season now! You can read that here!)

I thought about the time he was the ring bearer for the first time at age 3, pulling Emily (just 1) down the aisle in a wagon. And how, after making it down the aisle, he didn’t know what to do…

So he just sat right down next to the groom at the front of the altar like it was the most normal thing in the world 😂

But this time? This was his moment.

He’s seven now.

And he was so proud that they trusted him with the real rings.

Come ceremony time? He nailed it.

And we got to watch it all from the third row.

No camera straps.
No bag full of lenses.
No stress about the timeline.

Just a full heart, teary eyes, and Jordan’s hand in mine as I whispered, “When did he get so big?” 😭

But maybe the most beautiful part of all?

Knowing Beckett was witnessing such a God-honoring ceremony, one that shone the light and showed the love of Jesus in every detail.

Seeing Anna and Matthew up there reminded us so much of our own wedding day.

When we were engaged, Jordan and I chose to get baptized together and made a commitment that our relationship would be built on the firm foundation of Jesus.

That was over sixteen years ago.

And even through all the ups and downs of life, one thing hasn’t changed: our hope, our peace, our joy… it all starts there.

We’ve never been perfect.

But we’ve never been alone either.

So as we sat there watching our son take it all in, listening to Scripture, witnessing worship and what a covenant looks like, soaking in the beauty of a Christ-centered marriage… all we could think was:

What a gift.

To see him experience a wedding day like this, in a way he’ll actually remember.

To remind him that after choosing to follow Jesus, the next most important decision he’ll ever make… is who he chooses to marry.

Not what college he’ll go to.
Not what job he’ll have.
But who he’ll walk through life with.

And if you’ve been feeling that soul-level tug lately, a little longing to draw closer to God, or even just a stirring to explore that relationship again, I’d love to share something that’s helped us.

Over the years, we’ve leaned on so many incredible resources, mentors, books and sermons that have helped us grow in our faith and anchor our family.

And recently, I compiled them into a free PDF guide you can download here:

💛 A free guide with the books, tools and resources that have helped us grow in our walk with God, and might help you too.

If you’ve been looking for a place to start (or re-start), I hope this feels like a warm invitation, not a checklist. Just something that’s helped us, that we’d love to pass along to you.

Whether you’re walking through a season of clarity or questions, closeness or curiosity, know:

You’re not alone. He’s with you, and He’s not done writing your story.

P.S. I still can’t believe we danced the night away and didn’t have to think once about ISO, shutter speed or white balance one time 🙌 Highly recommend being a guest sometime 😄

P.S.S. It’s been a LONG time since I’ve needed a dress for a wedding, but I found this one in the back of my closet that I bought second hand for $12 (ten years ago) for the United Conference Gala, so that basically bought my Disneyland ticket, right?! Girl math 👌