On June 21st, my daughter Rachel married her college sweetheart, Liam. She met him in the very first week of college. They did not want to be 3 hours apart after graduating, so they decided to tie the knot a bit sooner and to have a bigger celebration in the future.

She planned this wedding in less than two weeks! We both collected beautiful vintage pieces that reflected her sentimental old soul,  that complimented her backyard, that would showcase her beautiful simplicity, and her greatest treasures of family and friends.

The week before Rachel moved to Warren, Rhode Island , she and I already cried many tears together about her leaving our home. A parent has a slow gradual separation from a child, but getting married, is the final parting and the hardest.

On her wedding day, I was very happy for her, which helped me to be more composed to photograph, though I cried when she walked out of her bedroom with her wedding dress on and when I saw her father painfully loosening the ties of fatherhood as he walked her down the aisle. He also officiated the wedding being one of the pastors at our church.

I photographed with my mirrorless camera as well as her film camera, which is her memory keeping first-love, and is inspired by her early childhood photos I captured on film.

When a mother photographs her daughter's wedding, the mother sees the girl...and the woman.

A head adorned with a Little House on the Prairie floral bonnet and a face draped with a lace lined, vintage veil.

The dandelion in the air twirling princess to one in a wedding dress awaiting her prince.

A daddy's girl parachuting in the air to a woman landing in a young man's heart and a new home.

The tattoo etched on her soul and her leg to be a flower always turning her face toward the Son.

The proud six year old hairstylist who cut her bangs for company reflected in the mirror of an almost married woman.

You see the quilted squares of years tailor-made into the tapestry of her...

the patchwork of faith,

the lining of thousands of mother prayers,

the gather of memories,

the embroidery of family and love.

The knitting of fun,

the finger press of guidance,

the eyelet of hope.

The appliqué of teaching,

the backstitch of friends.

The cording of devotion,

the sewing needles of growing up.

Your heart is present in each image because she is your heart.

My summer ray of sunshine,

my warm morning cup of coffee,

my long awaited Christmas present.

The details are more important because the details are a part of her.

The hours collecting antique, personal mugs and teacups for her much loved guests; melting her heart into wax candles for them.

Doilies and ribbons laced with love.

The proud daughter-in-law who sews her name on a sheet because she is proud to display the name for all to see.

And the photographer cries more when the bride walks down the aisle.

I could not imagine NOT photographing this day, to not only see her day through the eyes of her mother, but also to see the day through hers.