“It’s the end of a magical day. My body is tired and yet I’m sitting here starting to type because if I do not type this tonight, I’m afraid I will forget these feelings of pure happiness.

“It’s the kind of happiness you experience when you witness a bride seeing herself for the first time in the mirror as an actual bride.

“It’s the kind of happiness that you experience when you witness their first glimpse of each other on their wedding day.

“It’s the kind of happiness that you experience when you see the church filled to overflowing with people who have come out of love and support. It’s the kind of happiness you experience when the pastor asks the congregation if they pledge to lift these two beautiful newlyweds in their prayers and the whole congregation says, ‘We will.’

“It’s the kind of happiness that you experience when you see two people pledge their lives to each other.

“It’s the kind of happiness you experience when she fist-pumps that air after signing her new name on the marriage certificate and says, ‘I’m a Hochstetler now!’ 

“It’s the kind of happiness you experience when the smiles on the faces of their dearest family and friends mimic the smile on your own face because their love is that infectious.

“It is true love. It is beautiful love.

“Yes, their photos will give them those stand-still moments that they may have already forgotten and the details that were so incredibly put together by their families and friends, but what is truly special is to witness their marriage as a new friend, as someone who didn’t know their love story before they chose me as their photographer. To witness first-hand what their friends and family have already had the privilege of seeing…let’s just call it magic. Because there’s really no other way to say it. It’s just magic.” (Written Saturday night after arriving home.)

Coming up next: Keri + Drew’s tented reception at Sisters’ Garden & Bloom! (I’ll just give you a hint: The bride’s words were, “If you think it looks good in [the sanctuary], the reception is ten times more awesome!” She wasn’t kidding.)

If you missed their engagement photos, you can see those here, along with the story of how they met and how Drew proposed. (It’s such a beautiful story!)