Jelena + David // Grand Rapids, Michigan
On wedding days I am always listening in to what people are saying about the couple, the messages during the ceremony, and speeches to try to catch something special and unique to remember for the blog post for the coming week. I love hearing what makes each couple unique and I hang on to those moments to remember each couple by. When considering what I was going to say about Jelena and David’s wedding day this past Friday I was struggling with how to best tell their amazing and inspiring love story, but I will try my best.
We met Jelena in 2014 and over the past 6 years we have had the amazing opportunity to photograph 2 of her sisters weddings, her brothers wedding, her best friends wedding, along with numerous family sessions. If you have been around our business for a while and follow our work, you have for sure seen these faces and if you are close to us you have probably heard Jelena’s story. We met her in 2014 at another wedding and she was planning her own wedding to her fiancé Patrick at the time. Justin photographed their beautiful wedding later that year and an amazing friendship was born.
As Jelena’s dad flawlessly mentioned in his speech Friday, there were multiple “elephants” in the room and Patrick’s death in 2016 was one of them. Our dear friend tragically and unexpectedly lost her husband just two years after Justin captured their wedding day. From that moment on we have photographed Jelena as she grieved, learned, and watched her two babies grow into beautiful young girls.
Friday the missing piece to the puzzle was put into place. I will never forget the first conversations Jelena and I had about dating and specifically about David. He is the calm to the storm, the constant, and strength, and he is the answer to every prayer. Watching my friend walk down the aisle to this man on Friday felt like a weight lifted from my chest. He loves his girls with grace and understanding and is going to make for the greatest husband and dad.
Jelena and David, you and your family shows us constant love and encouragement, we feel beyond blessed to have you in our lives and we cannot begin to put into words how happy we are to see you start your life together. God has had this plan written long before we could ever have imagined it and we cannot wait to see what else he has in store. Thank you for letting us be a part of your day and your lives, we love you all more than we can say.
