In 15 days, I photographed 5 weddings. In that time, I realized again just how much I love them. Weddings are a passion of mine. Seeing a father tenderly entrust his daughter to another's care, a bride promise her faithful love to her new husband with tears in her eyes, and a groom feel like the luckiest guy in the world -- getting to photograph that is pretty special. Especially when you realize that one day, wide-eyed children will be looking at your photos of their great, great, great grandparent's wedding. 

More often than I like to admit, the emotion of the day sucks me in, and I'm ducking behind the camera, wiping at tears, hoping no one notices. I love the beauty of a wedding, and I say a prayer privately for each couple before I photograph their day, praying for their love and commitment to last and for many happy years for them. 

When the bride is a sister, there's no holding the tears back. My lovely sister-in-law, Rebekah, changed her last name this month, and I gained a new brother. Rebekah is one of the most beautiful people I know. I love her sweetness, the way she cares about the happiness of every person in the room. We have enjoyed getting to know Caleb the last few months. He helped pitch in and renovate our studio and my children adore him. Seeing how much he loves Rebekah makes my heart happy. He's now part of that special bond known as family. I look forward to one day getting to share their wedding photos with my future nieces and nephews.

Poeffel-Cornelius