NYC J&M Anniversaries: Stephanie & Byron
When we were emailing back & forth with Stephanie for her travel arrangements to join us at our June Walk Through a Wedding w/ J&M workshop, she mentioned that her husband Byron would also be joining her for the trip. So I jokingly (but also totally seriously) replied, “Ooooh Anniversary shoot!” Well it turns out that the week they were going to be here WAS in fact their anniversary and they loved the idea! So two days after the workshop we joined them in NYC to celebrate thirty one years of marriage with them. We first met up at the Central Park Boathouse for drinks before shooting all around the Park, and then winding back up at the Boathouse for dinner that night. We’ve actually never had dinner there before (only drinks) and so that was SUCH a fun way to end the night. But the real joy of that day came from spending time with two people who have fought over the long haul to create a beautiful, inspirational example of marriage…two people who are clearly SO in love.
This, my friends. This is what 31 years of marriage looks like. Thirty-one years of choosing each other, fighting for it, sticking together, standing by your best friend. This is daily choices of love & respect and serving each other well. This is laughing together and his hand in yours. And after all these years, still kissing like the 16 year olds you were when you first found each other. This is marriage. And it is beautiful. Here are just a FEW of our faves!
Stephanie & Byron, we LOVE you both! Here’s hoping that we get to call you friends for a lifetime to come!
xo
M:)
Oh my word. I’m not a crier, but I have tears on my cheeks (while out in public!!) just looking at these. Stunning, and SO inspirational.
Oh I LOVE THESE. Clearly I’m a huge fan of that tulle skirt, and they are so beautiful together! That one semi-silhouette under the center arch of Bethesda Terrace, 2/3 of the way down, that’s my FAVORITE!
Words? There are none that will serve justice to how I feel right now.
Once upon a time, Byron and I married at 16 and 19 years of age. We do not have wedding pictures. One pitiful, grainy snapshot is all. So young, so naive, but so in love and hopeful for our life to come. In the past 31 years we have seen good times and bad. Raised three exceptional sons who could not make us more proud. The eldest two are married to the most amazing daughters in law a family could ever ask for. And now we are expecting our first grandchild. God is so good and gracious. He is so perfect and kind. Patient and loving. He has blessed us beyond measure. Our life and marriage has not been perfect. Far from it! But we have fought to stay together and loved each other with such fierceness and determination that, when seeing these images, I see “Happily ever after.” We decided long ago, there was no one else we wanted to grow old with. No one else to spoil grand babies with. No one else, period!
Thank you Justin and Mary for capturing our fairy tale.
absolutely fabulous. beautiful memories for a gorgeous couple. how awesome that they took the time to celebrate their love. more people need to do this!
The promise of a long and well lived life, within this marriage, was captured in these lovely photos.
I’m so touched to witness this intimate photo shoot of this marriage; these two people, whom I’ve known for almost three decades. So very beautiful!
Oh my! Anybody who has made it for so many year clearly deserves such super gorgeous images! <3Gah!!