palms pavilion wedding tiona

em & sam

I know this was one was going to look beautiful. I didn’t know how it was going to hit me.

It had overwhelming buckets of joy. Moments of intense sincerity. Moments where Em and Sam and those they had gathered allowed themselves, briefly and intentionally, to maybe feel a little bit of grief intermingled with the exultation. And, well, the most raucous god damn dance party as the heavens opened and they baptised their union in dance and song and rain intermingled with sweat.

Em and Sam first met through Sam’s sisters one night when Sam realised one of them knew the foxy girl behind the bar. “OMG do you know her she’s hot” (…I may be paraphrasing). Cue them getting together. On Em’s last shift. Because she was relocating to Byron in a week. Less than 6 months and a few short visits later and Sam decided to upend his life to move in with her to give it a shot, because how could he not? They had little to no money. They worked odd jobs. They lived a simple but blissful existence they still hold as some of their most formative and blissful years, because they could focus on the here and now. Together.

This day taught me a few lessons. The value and maybe even necessity of allowing yourself to grieve for those who can’t be there, and how maybe processing that can give you increased gratitude for the things you do have. Of making magic out of whatever the hell life throws at you. Of taking a summer storm that some may have let ruin the best laid plans and turning it into something transcendent and memorable and yours.

Em and Sam embracing it all. Together.

Enjoy

Dane