Mr. and Mrs. Woodbury

As wedding photographers, we see couples make awesome decisions for their wedding days. If we could marry each other all over again, there are so many things we’d incorporate that we’ve seen happen at others’ weddings. As Emily and Justin’s reception came to a close, we had one of those moments. Their DJ, Matt, dismissed all of their wedding guests to head upstairs for their exit and asked only the bridal party to remain with the couple. Once the reception room was almost empty, he started the song and the bridal party stood in the center of the quiet dance floor, arms around one another, swaying to the music.

During the song, Emily and Justin took the time to thank their bridal party and tell them how much they all mean to them. Plenty of people will warn you to eat on your wedding day, but fewer people talk about how hard it is to get quality time in with the people you are closest with. Taking a moment at the end of the night to dance with their bridal party allowed Emily and Justin to close out the night with some quality time with their closest friends. Many of them wiped tears as they talked and joked with one another. It was clearly a gift not only to Emily and Justin but to their bridal party as well.

Emily’s maid of honor, Madelyn, spoke about how much Emily and Justin had cared for and served the members of their bridal party throughout the time leading up to and on their wedding day. This gift of ending the night with a private dance together showed us once more how much their friends and family mean to them. As the song concluded, their bridal party was dismissed and Emily and Justin enjoyed a final dance between just the two of them. How true that image is to what life as a married couple should look like: prioritizing community and love of neighbor, but ending the day loving one another.

Emily and Justin, your wedding was such a beautiful day to witness. You reminded us of what we felt on our own wedding day. As Justin gave a welcome speech, we remembered standing before our wedding guests in disbelief that all these people that we loved so dearly were all present before our eyes. So many of those guests continue to be near and dear to us, while others have simply drifted down different paths for no particular reason other than time and circumstances changing. But one thing that hasn’t changed for us is our desire to continue to live a marriage that loves others wholly and completely. There are many people we love and cherish now—like you two!—that we didn’t even know when we got married. This is where the words of Emily’s dad come to mind and make us deeply desire that celebration that awaits us one day in Heaven when all of the people we have loved throughout our life will be together and when we will celebrate without end! We are praying for you! Thank you for letting us serve you on your wedding day!

Love,

Amy and Kyle