Justin + Ashley: Married! | Sea Island | The Cloister | Aharon Hill Photography

If you follow my blog, you may have seen my post about Ashley (one of my besties!!!) & Justin around this time last year, when I photographed their engagement session during peak cherry blossom season in Washington DC. My heart still skips a beat when I think about the loveliness of that day!

Ashley has been a dear friend since our early days after college. You can read about what she means to me here <3

Though I had met and spent time with Justin before, I got to know him well over the few days I spent with Ashley in DC. And the more I got to know him, the more I adored him… and the more certain I was about what a perfect match he was for Ashley.

Any guy who tracks my lost iphone down in DC, makes arrangements to meet a stranger in sketchy part of DC to retrieve it, and even goes so far as to try to tip the guy who returned it… is definitely worthy of marrying my girlfriend. Justin is definitely a keeper!

Anyway, very soon after Justin and Ashley got engaged, Ashley called and told me that she had her heart set on me photographing her wedding. And can I just say, as a photographer, that is an amazing compliment. I never try to pressure friends to use me as their photographer. So when they select me to capture special events in their lives (especially weddings), it is truly an honor!

But then, at some point before the new year, Ashley called again. She was conflicted. She told me that I am one of her best friends, and wanted to give me the choice of photographing or being a bridesmaid. Geez. That was a tough call.

But ultimately, I decided that while I love Ashley and will always be her bridesmaid in my heart, I wanted to be there for her in the way that would make her happiest on her special day… and I knew that she wanted me to be her photographer most of all.

So that is what I was <3