Alissa and Henry wanted their decision to marry captured in an intimate, hands-off way. They wanted me to follow and just capture–minimal posing and structure. Approaching a shoot like that is always hard for me–but it taught me a few important lessons.

It pushed me to observe the story unfolding. Keeping my eyes peeled for the small precious moments that happened in the blink of an eye.

It allowed me to engage fully in learning about the fact that Alissa’s mother eloped, along with Alissa’s grandmother in Germany. In fact, the dress Alissa wore is the same dress her grandmother wore. My agenda to shoot certain things was forced aside and I’m okay with that. I look back at these images and see the quiet, intimate moments between these two very private people. It made me feel even more honored to be a witness to their marriage license. These are the moments I feel most fulfilled in my job. These are the clients I appreciate so sweetly.