I’ve been wanting to share this wedding for some time now.  But every time I sit down to tell the story of Justine and Devin’s the words elude me.  I don’t where to start.

I could start with the tale of a girl who has triumphed over the less fortunate happenings in her life.  She forever holds my admiration. Or I could tell of a boy who’s wanted to marry a certain girl since the 6th grade, which is probably the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard. I don’t really know where the love story began, but I’m certainly glad to be a part of it.

You may remember my sister’s Cinderella inspired proposal, which was one of my favorite days ever (you can see it here).  Devin really is her Prince Charming, welcoming her daughter and her into his heart as a true gentleman.

As this wedding touches me on such a personal level, the job of narrowing down photos and pieces to share is nearly impossible, so I decided it was actually worth 2 posts.  Anyone who’s gotten married knows there are two parts to the wedding day.  There’s the pre-wedding – the time spent pampering yourself with your closest family and friends, focusing on the joy to come and preparing to commit yourself to one another forever.  While this time can be beautiful and relaxing, there’s also an electricity in the air and everyone around can feel it.

Part 2 of the wedding day is the post wedding celebration.  There ceremony takes places.  Vows and promises are exchanged and suddenly everyone can celebrate.  There’s a cloud of, well I hate to call it stress but for lack of a better word, stress, that lifts and there’s even more joy, if you even thought that was possible.

Today, I’m telling of the prewedding.  Thinking of the flowers that were placed, the moments spent zipping a bride’s dress and Great Grandma’s pearl necklace that was worn by my mother and myself on our wedding days, and now by my sister as well.  There’s the first moment that a groom see’s his bride and know’s that she’ll forever be by his side.

Photography: Samantha James Photography | Wedding Planning & Floral Design: The Day’s Design | Getting Ready Venue: Knob Hill Bed & Breakfast | Wedding Venue: The Durant | Bride’s Dress: Pierre’s Bridal | Bridesmaids Dresses: Rent the Runway | Menswear: Menguin | Flowergirls dresses: Laura Ashley | Invitations: Minted | Bride’s Ring: Pennibelle | Bridesmaids Ribbons: Adorn | Bride’s Bouquet Ribbons: Silk & Willow 

It’s as though I could share something significant about each and every one of these photos, however I do think that would disrupt the overall flow of this post.  But even now going through all of these, I can feel the anticipation rising.  Even though they decided to see one another prior to the ceremony, you’ll see when I share the rest of the wedding – part 2 of the day – that nothing was lost and the emotion and significance of the ceremony was all there.  This was just the teaser, the celebration is yet to come.

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