When I got home from this wedding, I Instagramed a photo of these two and said this: “I have photographed hundreds of weddings. I have never seen a groom be more tender towards his bride than Tim was towards Beth.”

As I edited and looked over every image I captured that day, I still feel that to be an absolute truth.

The depth and richness of their relationship seeped through every aspect of their day.  I felt so honored to be there.  I felt like I should be paying them.  Then I was all like… wait.  My kids need to eat.  Nevermind.

Beth and Tim were married at Stone Oak Ranch in Athens.  It’s a Top 10 venue and I love shooting there.  Also Moss made the whole day explode with floral goodness.

Beth knew exactly what she wanted in a dress.  But, unlike her groom, she could not find it in one place.  So she had one commissioned, that combined 3 different dresses on Etsy. :)

Every time I turned around, these ladies were laughing.  About everything and nothing, all at once.

Tim wrote in a little journal for her and as she was reading it she was tearing up, and then chuckled a bit.  I later asked her and she said that he had misspelled a word. :)

Beth and her mom shared a super sweet prayer before the day really got rolling.

I told you Moss killed it with the flowers!  Call and book them! 903.787.8821

This is when I started noticing Tim’s attention to detail.  When he opened the gift Beth had for him, he looked over every part so carefully.  The card, the box, the small stuff we tend to glance over.  He even flipped through and read every page in a photo book she had made for him.  I was standing there photographing him, waiting for him to go to the next gift, but he just kept looking at the photo book.  Page by page.  After a minute or so, I began to worry because I saw that there was another book.  A longer thicker book.

Sure enough, he opened this one to the table of contents and started looking over it.
(At this point I kinda freaked out in my head.  We are on a schedule bro.  I only allotted 5 minutes for “gift exchange” and you are making me nervous.)

Then he went to this pose.  He settled in.  He got comfortable.  I think he forgot I was there, and we were there, and he was getting married.  He was so engulfed with the perfect gift that Beth had selected that it was threatening to ruin my day!!!

He finally put the book down and we moved onto the business of this ever important “formal photos.”  This is Tim and his brother being “formal”.

Tim also picked out bow ties for each of his guys.  (I’m scared to know how long that process took.)

Boom!  Tim’s brother strikes with a perfect photo bomb.

Beth’s sister made these.  Because she is awesome.

Wedding time rolled around and I was waiting for it to start, when all of the sudden preacher man started talking.  I figured it was the usual, silence your cell phones, no flash photography announcement.

Wrong again, Alex.

Beth and Tim asked him to speak for about 5-10 minutes on what marriage is.  What it means.  What we strive for and commit to when we enter into this covenant.  And they asked him to do it BEFORE they came out because they didn’t want any of his words to be missed by the distraction of them, and their closest friends being up there.

They just wanted a not so subtle reminder for them and their guests that marriage is legit.

You don’t jack with marriage. (My words, not his.)

Beth finally came out.  Tim cried.

When she got to the front, they spent some time just hugging and holding each other.  Because why not. :)

While at the back, I saw this.  It has nothing to do with covenants, or marriage, or the sacredness of the moment.  But you can’t NOT photograph dinosaurs.  Right?

This is Tim’s “I CAN’T BELIVE WE ARE FLIPPING MARRIED YOU ARE SO GORGEOUS” face.

After I finished their photos, I encouraged them to just take some time alone before heading back towards the wedding party and reception.  I looked over and found this.

Hello perfect moment.

I love it so much.  It totally captured their day and relationship.  It wasn’t a kiss.  In fact, I would not even call it a “hug.”  It was more of a “hold.”

As in, I’m here for you.  I’m supporting you.  I’m committed to you.  I’m in this moment with you and will be in so many more moments for years and years to come.

Marriage is hard.

Mortgages
Kids
Budgets
School
Work
In-laws
Holidays
Bills

All of these things are a part of it.

None of them are inherently bad.  But boy, do they sometimes feel like they are pulling you apart.

Knowing your spouse is committed.  Knowing they are there to lean on.  Knowing that you can always walk into a room and hold each other, regardless of whatever is spiraling out of control around you, is what keeps marriages together.

I loved getting to capture their first “hold” as a married couple.

I always like when this happens during a First Dance.

And just when I thought I had seen it all…..  They go and give me a Marriage Monday quote on the side of their car.

“It is not your love that sustains the marriage, but from now on, the marriage that sustains your love.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Thank you two for an amazing day.  I love you.