Have I mentioned lately that I love weddings?  

I have, haven't I?

I mean, how can I not?    I get to live vicariously through someone's most special time of life and I get to do it over and over again.  I get to see women at their most beautiful and I get to document the men who love them.  I get to see how family and friends, who love this couple so dearly, get to experience one of the greatest days of their lives, as the person they love is entrusted to someone they now call family. Plus, I get to take pictures of groomsmen and bridesmaids behaving badly which is always a good time. 

But, there's another side to weddings that makes me love them so.

I get to see the power of the human spirit. I get to see how people can overcome any hardship with the love and devotion of their friends, family, and most importantly...their soulmate.

Now why would I ever bring up something negative in a post about someone's happiest day?  Because when a bride has to walk down the aisle and leave an empty seat for her best friend, the woman who raised her to be the woman she is today, the woman who gave her life, it's not something you can hide from.  It's not a pain you can just brush off.  It's an emotional burden felt by all who loved and cherished this woman.

But the loss of her mother did not just leave a void in this bride's life never to be filled.  Instead, it allowed someone to step in, pick up the pieces of her broken heart, give her the strength to live again, and make her realize that he is the person she should be spending the rest of her life with. The man her mother has chosen for her.

If you believe in angels as do I, you will agree that there is no doubt that this bride's mother had a hand in this marriage.  It was the way this groom cared for this bride when her mother passed away so early in their relationship that made them realize, they were each other's forever. While nothing will ever diminish the pain of losing one's mother, knowing that she had a direct hand in creating this love story does make it a little more palpable.  And even though she is in heaven, the bride's mother was never ever far from her heart. Because around the bride's neck was a necklace from which hung a pendant...made from her mother's jewelry.  

And you know what, every time I captured this bride smiling, or with a mischievous glint in her eye when she was tearing up the dance floor or every time the groom caught me with my camera trained on him and gave me his trademark "smile",  I could feel the love from above.  

Alright, now that I am all misted up, let me get real.  I need to make a clause in my contract that the bride must bring her moves to the dance floor or there will have to be some sort of penalty because every bride needs to have this much fun on her most special day.  Thank you once again to Laura Napoli for being an amazing second shooter!  Could not love her anymore!

Just check her out below! 2013-10-12_0001 2013-10-12_0002 2013-10-12_0003 2013-10-12_0004 2013-10-12_0005 2013-10-12_0006 2013-10-12_0007 2013-10-12_0008 2013-10-12_0009 2013-10-12_0010 2013-10-12_0011 2013-10-12_0012 2013-10-12_0013 2013-10-12_0014 2013-10-12_0015 2013-10-12_0016 2013-10-12_0018 2013-10-12_0017 2013-10-12_0019 2013-10-12_0021 2013-10-12_0022

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