I have been thinking about what to say about this wedding for a few days… I cannot find the words to do justice to the joy I experienced of photographing it. The wedding of one of my oldest and dearest friends to a man who compliments her personality so well, who makes her so happy, who was made to love her.  Tay (or Tang, as I like to call her) and I met in 2000, as freshmen at the University of North Carolina. We were two of the handful of lucky first-year students housed on North Campus and lived in the same dorm building. It’s hard to believe that was thirteen years ago. Our lives have certainly taken very different paths, hers far more exciting than mine at times, and there have been times (during all of that random excitement) that we haven’t been able to talk as frequently as we would like.. But, whenever we do, it is with ease and with laughter, as if no time has passed.

A few years ago, I learned that she was dating a new guy. At the time, she was living in Texas…. and then in Charlotte, while he lived in D.C. Despite the distance, he made her happy, so she decided to move to D.C., to give their love a chance.  According to Jahmal, “there was not a specific time when I knew this was forever. I believe it was an accumulation of events over time that showed me that Tay was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. As each month passed, I feel like I was learning something new about her and finding different ways to appreciate the woman that she is. I wanted to be in a space where I loved her unconditionally for all of her awesome characteristics and whatever flaws she had. It took a lot of communication and effort for us to get there and her willingness to work on various aspects of our relationship spoke volumes to me.” The move obviously paid off. In January of last year, Jahmal proposed to Tay in Italy and last month, they married at the beautiful El Dorado Royale Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico, with sixty of their closest family and friends.

You’ll notice me behind Tay in the next picture, wearing a bridesmaid dress. Yes, I was a bridesmaid too. Photographers try to do this every now and then.. be a part of the wedding party AND the photographer.  It’s probably not the smartest endeavor to take on, honestly, but Tay was such a laid-back bride that there was not a lot of pressure or responsibility on the shoulders of the bridesmaids. Tay assured me over and over that it was ok for me to take a break, to stop and make sure I was enjoying myself too.. One of the bridesmaids asked if it was hard to miss out on really being a bridesmaid. For me, it wasn’t. Capturing her day and telling her story was my way of giving Tay the absolute best of me…

Our wedding day was WONDERFUL!!! From the time that I saw Tay during the first look until the time we left the reception, I knew I was marrying the perfect woman for me. All of her hard work and effort that she put into planning the wedding turned out perfectly. I feel like our wedding ceremony and reception encompassed both of our personalities. We are not the mushy couple and we love to laugh with each other. I feel like we laughed together throughout the entire day and incorporated our love into each event. 

Thank you Natayah and Jahmal for letting me be a part of your special day. I love you both and wish you a lifetime of happiness, babies and life in the suburbs!! Lol.

Be sure to check back on MONDAY to see more images from their weekend in Mexcio!!