A story of incomprehensible Loss and love...
This is a tough one. Kelly and Amanda's incredibly beautiful Railroad Museum wedding has been languishing in my archives for a very sad reason. We lost Amanda to cancer, just mere months after her marriage to Kelly. I remember delivering a sneak peek to the couple a couple weeks after the ceremony, but heard nothing back. I figured no big deal, they're on vacation, but as the weeks ticked by with no response, I was becoming concerned they hated their images. Then the email from Kelly arrived in my inbox. Days after returning from their honeymoon, medical tests indicated that Amanda had cancer, and that even worse, it had spread. With stoic bravery Kelly informed me that they were going to fight every step of the way. Ultimately, it had spread too far, and within months, Amanda was no longer with us. They had only just found each other again....
Kelly (strapless gown) and Amanda (v-neck gown) had started their relationship with teen friendship. Besties having the time of their life. When circumstance caused them to be separated after a move, they grew apart, as so often happens with our friendships from our youth that are exposed to time and distance. But ultimately, fate brought them back into each other's path. Upon once again living in the same city, the friendship was restarted... but this time it was different. There was romantic love. This beautiful couple were still besties all the same. It was apparent through their interactions on their wedding day that their connection was deep, loving, and thrived on laughter. My job unfortunately only presents a small window into a couple's world, but the intensity of that window being on a wedding day allows me to see beautiful examples of true love. And this couple has it in spades. Amanda and Kelly had a wonderful community of family and friends, especially those they had found through their church. Amanda spent much of her time and talent in that church creating beautiful music that her friends and family adored. It was evident through their wedding day how much this couple was loved.
Now that some time has passed, and healing has begun, it's time to show their love to the world. After consulting with Kelly, she agreed. There's nothing that I, a near stranger, could possibly say to convey the meaningful presence of Amanda in her loved one's lives, and the void left by her absence, but for a brief moment I saw her live in ecstatic joy. I saw her soak in every moment and I saw her soul loving another soul.
