When I pulled up in front of a tiny white cottage straight out of a fairy tale in downtown Gilbert, and opened the door to find Miranda and her bridesmaids in the cutest robes drinking champagne, I knew it was going to be a good day.  Miranda was surrounded by her best friends and Mom and there just happened to be an entirely white bedroom, which is a photographers dream!

Ever since our engagement shoot, I have been so excited to capture Miranda and Steven’s wedding.  They are so fun to be around and they just radiate such joy.  You cannot help being happy when you are in their presence. Their wedding day was so amazing to be a part of.  They had a lovely brunch wedding complete with… wait for it… pancake cake!! And those of you that know me know that I love pancakes. with real maple syrup. and berries.  Which is exactly what they had.  Luckily, I was able to exercise some self control and not eat their entire pancake cake.

But guys, the most special part of the day was during their ceremony when they not only exchanged hand written vows, but followed it up with a feet washing.  My favorite line from Miranda’s vows was when she told Steven that she would not just love him today, but she would love who he became.  And I love that because when you marry someone, you commit to being with them indefinitely.  But you know what? People change. Heck, I’ve changed in the last year alone.  Let alone in the last 6 years that I’ve been with my husband.  But when you grow together and vow to keep supporting and loving each other actively, this is more than possible.

And after they made me tear up from their vows, they decided to put their words to action by washing each other’s feet publicly, just like Jesus washed his disciples feet.  Through this, they showed each other that they would serve one another even by washing each other’s dirty stinky feet, which was always a position for servants.  That is why Jesus’ act, and Miranda and Steven emulating it, is so powerful. Because it removes all arrogance and pride.  And when you remove those things from your marriage, it will thrive.

Miranda decided that she would continue this commitment to Steven by engraving his wedding band with Love is a Verb. And all of us married folk know that love IS indeed a verb. Because you can’t promise to always have a feeling.  But you can promise to wake up each day and act out a verb. On your wedding day acting out that verb is easy, but its harder on those days when your spouse leaves all their stuff piled on the ground or leave their dirty dishes on the table or gets yet another package from Nordstrom (okay maybe I’m just describing all the horrible things I do to my poor husband LOL).  But seriously, with a foundation like this for your marriage, and the way you two radiate joy, I know that you have a long and happy marriage ahead of you, and I can’t wait to see where your new life in Texas takes you!

Venue: Shenandoah Mills, Gilbert, AZ