Allison + Nick, General Potter Farm Wedding

Allison and Nick’s wedding was a story I won't soon forget, one that tugged something deep in my heart, one that reminded me of something important. An hour and a half before their wedding was to begin, we had to make the call to move the ceremony inside to the already set up cocktail space in the barn's basement. It was teeming rain and all hands were on deck to transform the dark basement into something that many would not compare to the lush outdoor creekside space they were meant to be married at.

When I went to the bridal suite to check on the bride, Allison, she looked horrified, terrified, angry, anxious - all the things I would be feeling, too. It was hard for me to communicate what I can easily say now, but I wanted to do was take her hands and assure her everything was going to be okay, that it would be beautiful no matter the location, that we would find candles and make the space magical, that in the end, it was still Nick that would be across the aisle.

And it was magical, more magical than I could have ever imagined: the rain and the soft light against the stone and the mist over the mountains. And today looking through these photos I was reminded of something so deeply important we always seem to forget: Weddings are all about aesthetic until they're not anymore. Pretty florals and stunning backdrops can only take the heart so far before they are only things.

Because when you peel back the layers, the tangible, when you undress the ceremony site and take away the beautiful tablescapes, what you have is the only thing that actually matters: two people wildly in love. And Allison and Nick could have been married atop a landfill, for their vows were handwritten and choked with tears, their commitment was grand, gravitational - you could feel it in the room.

So my advice to anyone getting married in the rain would be this: Go ahead and cry really hard about it. It certainly is a bummer; you worked hard to make that field look perfect, and frustration is certainly warranted. When you feel like you've given those feelings attention (as all feelings need), go ahead and stand up. Take a deep breath. Be like Allison and Nick: grab that dress in your fist, his hand in the other, and run like your life depends on it into the rain.