Danielle and Kyle. Where do I even begin? I’ve loved every moment of our adventure together over this last year. And I love watching you two together because the strength of your bond and the amount of fun you guys have together is contagious.

Danielle and Kyle met at work together 4.5 years ago, and as their friends tell it, “Kyle kept showing up in places he didn’t need to be at work to talk to Danielle.” Well, it paid off Kyle!  These two share a love of baseball, hiking, dogs, and travel (they are in Spain right now on their honeymoon and I’m having total FOMO!). For their engagement session we combined literally all of those things by traveling to Sedro-Wooley and hiking to an abandoned mental hospital with their dogs. So I knew we were going to have so much fun on their wedding day.

I also love how Kyle proposed to Danielle by taking her for dinner in Seattle and as they walked along the piers, with a view of the ferris wheel, Kyle dropped down on one knee. He even had someone there to capture her every reaction!

A year later, Willie Green’s Organic Farm in Monroe, Washington, was the perfect backdrop for their day. Outdoors complete with tulips, fields, blooming trees, and their closest family and friends, Kyle and Danielle said, “I do.”

Guys, there was so much emotion on their wedding day. You can see below Kyle’ reaction to seeing Danielle walk down the aisle. You could feel the love emanating between these two. It’s always like their souls are connected even when they’re not standing right next to each other.  I also loved that they tried to kiss each other like three times before the ceremony was over LOL And my favorite part of their vows was when Danielle told Kyle that she couldn’t wait to see him pursue his dreams as that was when he became truly who he was meant to be. That kind of stopped me cold if I’m being honest because that is really the essence of marriage isn’t it? Wanting to walk alongside your best friend and partner as you pursue your dreams and your passions, which in turn fulfills your soul? It really goes back to the thought that home is where your partner is, not where your stuff is.

I think of all the times I’ve dragged my own husband on some ridiculous new venture, let me count… 3 different areas of law, a baby clothing store, a photography business, 5 different homes in 2 different states, and 7 pets, and I remember how he was always along for the ride without complaint. He never told me to stop creating or stop dreaming because he knew that my soul needed to do those things. And I like to thing he loved me even more seeing me live out my full potential. In the same way I’ve supported him through his schemes like his taxidermy business (caught him skinning a squirrel in our garage and a rabbit on our back porch…), fishing expeditions, plans to go back to school, work in the vet field, then back to the criminal justice field, and of course, the time he wanted to open a rabbit farm. And even though I could have done without the dead animals in my freezer, I loved and encouraged him through it all because I liked seeing him explore his talents.

I say all this to say that we will never be the same people next year that we are today. We are going to change and grow and become different people in a lot of ways. At 31, I’m definitely not the same law school student I was when Jon and I first met. But if you have strong foundation of friendship, love, and understanding, then that growth and change will be exciting, not scary. So hearing Danielle and Kyle’s vows, I knew they had it right. That they knew they’d both change, and they wanted to both change, and they couldn’t wait to see what that looked like and all they’d accomplish both together and as separate people. Because they aren’t two halves of a whole, they are two wholes who are choosing to be partners for life, because through each other they are the best version of themselves and they can tackle any obstacle that comes their way. And I have no doubt you will.

Never stop exploring or trying new things, never stop licking each other on the face during photoshoots or laughing uncontrollably, and never stop pursuing each other. Love changes and takes new forms, but that’s an exciting journey isn’t it? To have someone who knows you absolutely without you ever saying a word.

Because “the best love is the kind that awakens the soul; that makes us reach for more, that plants the fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds.” — Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook