The stretch of highway between Tilbury and London, Ontario is exceptionally beautiful.  There isn’t really that much to it actually, but that, in and of itself, is sort of what makes it so nice.  It’s about a hundred and sixty kilometers of farm land and railroad tracks which, in a way, is the very essence of rural South Western Ontario.

On the day of Rebekah and Cameron’s wedding, I made the hour and a half trek early in the morning en route to Rebekah’s parent’s house.  The hot summer air sat still over the farm fields and for a long time, I was one of only a few cars on the highway.  The gorgeous morning light drenched everything in sight and not too far off in the distance, deer could be seen waking up with the rest of the world.  I was listening to one of the jazz stations on our satellite radio and visualizing the day ahead…the amazing day that would be Rebekah and Cameron’s wedding.  While my commute to a wedding isn’t always as stunning as this particular one, my time leading up to them is usually the same; me, in our car, listening to some of my favourite music, and mentally walking myself through the day to come.  It’s just the way that it has to be!

Because here’s the thing…I’m a bit of an emotional person!  I have a tendency to feel a lot.  During the time that the 2010 Olympics were being aired back in February, there was a series of Tim Horton’s commercials that seriously had me gushing crocodile tears every time they came on!  Granted, I was also nine months pregnant at the time, but still…it doesn’t take much!  And for a person who photographs weddings…this can be a bit of a problem because it’s not extremely helpful to be standing behind a camera when your vision is cloudy from crying!  Believe me…I’ve tried!  So I make it a priority to take a bit of time before every wedding to get myself into “photographer mode”…to remind myself to switch gears for a little while so that I don’t miss a terrific shot because I’m busy looking for a kleenex!  It’s proven to be a flawless system for me so far!

Until now…

I stood at the front of the church with Cameron and his wedding party.  Rebekah walked down the aisle, beaming, hooked onto her Father’s arm.  When her parents let her go {sigh!}, Cameron took Rebekah’s hand in both of his and held it up to his chest.  He looked at her, smiled so immensely and took a deep, long breath.  A breath of gratitude?  A breath of relief?  A breath of praise?  That’s really only for Cameron to know.  But it was clear that this was the moment he had been waiting for his entire life; the moment in which he would stand before God with the woman of his dreams and a make a promise…a promise to take her hand and never let go.

When I moved my camera to take a quick look at the images, I found a tear.  A single tear had been streaming down my face while I was shooting and I hadn’t even noticed until then.

It was the single most beautiful moment that I’ve ever witnessed at a wedding.  It has also resulted in my single most favourite image that I’ve ever captured.  It is by no means “technically” perfect in any respect but it encapsulates everything that I love about what I do;  the intimacy, the sacredness, the emotion that comes from that one moment between two people and the life that lies ahead of them.

Cameron and Rebekah…my adoration for you has apparently caused a glitch in my system!  Your love, your life and your faith was overwhelmingly beautiful to witness.  I can’t even begin to tell you what an honour it was to be trusted with capturing your wedding day.  While few things will ever accurately reflect the magic that is your union, I do hope that these pictures help reflect the magic that was your day…