In the year 2016, I attended seven weddings. That comes out to a little over one wedding every two months. Among those weddings were a destination wedding in Maui, my sister’s wedding at the decidedly best restaurant in town, my own wedding; yeah, it was a busy year. Most of those celebrations were so special and unique in their own way, yet remarkably devoid of tradition. So, in an era of weddings that strive to be the poster celebrations for anti-tradition, it’s actually somewhat refreshing to be a part of a wedding that sticks to the books. Well, somewhat to the books.

For Maralee and Kyle Krisch, tradition was the epicenter of their wedding day, as long as your definition of “traditional” is flourished by a surprising frenzy of peacock feathers and dancing down the aisle. 

Maralee and Kyle were high school sweethearts. That history was evident in their planning - gorgeous white dress, mid-length veil, full Catholic mass and huge crowd of loved ones; it was a wedding taken right out of the diary of a young woman that had been planning this day since her first kiss. Traditional, check; fairytale, for sure. But also beautifully intimate in a way that only a wedding between high school sweethearts can be.

Kyle’s reservations about having his picture taken were balanced by Maralee’s smiles throughout the time we met. His discomfort quickly faded any time his eyes met his new bride’s. It’s my job as a wedding photographer to feel like I’m intruding on a special moment to get the shot, but their intimacy and unconditional love for one another was palpable in such a way that I barely needed to direct them. 

I was lucky enough to enough snag photos of Maralee and Kyle before their reception because if I had waited for a lull in the celebration to gather more portraits, I would’ve been waiting until the night’s end. Talk about a party. Maralee even invited me in to dance with her and her friends  — who would say no to that?

Some couples defy tradition. Others redefine it. As for me, I’m just lucky to play the witness with a camera.