Congratulations and Best Wishes to Paxton and Laura who were married recently on a beautiful Saturday that also happened to be Cinco De Mayo. In accordance with the holiday, there was a Sombrero and a couple of fake mustaches on hand and the photographers (Thanks to my good friend Jared Sorrells for spending the day with me) as well as the groomsmen put them to good use during picture time. The weather was nice and the family and friends were even nicer and it was in fact, one of my favorite weddings ever. 

But this was without a doubt, the hardest wedding I've ever been a part of as well.

Just two days after the wedding, Ann, the mother of the bride, suddenly and tragically passed away in a boating accident on the Elk River while floating with the newly weds as well as some extended family. 

And after trying to come up with the proper words to say in response, I am still at a loss. Sympathies and Condolences are a given. But what do you say in the wake of such a terrible and untimely tragedy? 

If you're a photographer and you're reading this, may I remind you that you have a responsibility to make photographs of family members, even if it's a quick picture at the reception because that's all the time you've got. And if you're reading this and you're just deeply saddened by the story, that's fine too as that is a proper response. Hug the ones you love, reconcile with the ones you're distant from and count your blessings everyday. And as you move forward looking at Paxton and Laura's wedding photos, keep this sweet, sweet family in your thoughts and prayers. Dealing with a traumatic loss is a process and they're going to need the love and support of the people they're close to as well as the people who only know them from this blog post.