the warmest day in December - when Ryley and Tawni got married
captured on a mix of 35mm and digital —
On December 9th, 2022, only a few days shy of a year ago on the day I’m writing this, two people and their people gathered up in a third floor courtroom at Tarrant County Courthouse in the deeply historic downtown district of Fort Worth, Texas. Upon mine and my husband’s arrival (he shot a little video action for the couple - the groom happens to be his cousin!), a feeling of nostalgia washed over me as I stood, tiny, under the hugeness of the 130 year old building that Tawni and Ryley would exchange their vows of forever.
The bride and groom arrived separately, and a group of about 12 of us gathered near the fountain out front, magnets to each other almost like we had planned that as a meeting spot — we in fact, did not. But what better a place than this for some final outfit adjustments. We formed a big semi circle awaiting the bride, her mom and her oldest daughter, Isabella. I say oldest daughter because their littlest daughter, Everley was with us that day too, she just happened to still be in the belly cooking at the time of the event. (She joined the family earth-side less than a month later!)
The greeting committee was rolling out hugs galore, and family and friends embraced and exclaimed: I’m so happy you’re here! Funny how one decision leads to so many more — how behind every closed window is an open door.
Finally, the moment we were all waiting for — the bride and groom and the noises of downtown Fort Worth and the energy and anticipation of the day. They locked eyes and embraced, the weight of anxiety lifting as they were at last together and now would be forever. Bella was pretty excited, too!
Family portraits came next:
And then some of the guests of honor:
Into the courthouse we go! Bella is ready to help, wherever possible. Ideal duties include: looking cute, wearing princess dresses, and holding her moms suuuuper long veil.
Like many government appointments, we had to wait a bit before we were seen to swap vows and make this thing official, so we made the most of the beautiful courthouse and got some of my favorite captures of the day.
The ceremony:
The ceremony was short and sweet, and the judge was light-hearted, funny and had been married a long time himself. He offered up some sage advice for a lasting marriage, which hopefully one of these two was listening to because I was too focused on getting “the shot” ;)
Either way, pen went to paper that day, and they would leave hand in hand: the Lairds.
just married bliss
♡
just married bliss ♡
As everyone rushed to the Mexican restaurant that would host the latter part of the evening, I snuck off with Ryley and Tawni to take advantage of the sparkly lights covering the Christmassy downtown streets. I’m happy I did, because that dip kiss became a memory engrained in my head forever, and marked the magic of that special night.
We met up with more friends and family at Los Vaqueros, a super happening restaurant with more than enough food and drink options to feed a small army. We all sat together at one long table and shared chips, salsa, and stories of the past + excitement for the future. The couples exchanged gifts, and their parents were given sweet souvenirs, too.
We ended the night with a bite of cake - one from him and one for her.
How rich it is to bear witness to these big decisions, the kind that set a whole new path in motion. The promise of I love you today, and tomorrow, too. I don’t tire of being chosen, and this family especially has chosen me to mark so many of their big moments. Immense gratitude for that trust.
Jory filmed a few clips throughout the day that caught his eye, and I put a little video together to hopefully sum of the feelings of that warm winter day: