
Arrin & Paul's story.
What I didn't mention below was the amazing strength these two families have after enduring the death of Arrin's father, Bruce, three months before the wedding. His goal, after being diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer, was to make it to Arrin's wedding and have that very special dance with her. Unfortunately, the cancer took it's toll on his body.
I had known all this going into the wedding and I wanted so much to make sure I was capturing the spirit of this wedding. Arrin and Paul wanted so much to have a celebration of love and life and they made it happen, despite this tragedy in their family. I'm so gratelfull for their trust in me and honored to have been chosen to capture these moments. It just makes you realize the importance of our ever-fleeting, continually evolving life. The clock never stops. The moments happen and then they are gone. What is left is your memory and, hopefully, a photograph to ignite the memory and relive it a little. While I never got to meet Bruce, I know that he was a good and honorable person. You can just tell because his family is so wonderul and special.
Arrin's family has since gotten involved with PanCan (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network) and donations have been made in Bruce's memory to that group. They are also doing the PanCan PurpleStride walk/run on October 11, 2009 in Maryland. If you'd like to make a donation it would be greatly appreciated. Their goal is to raise $1000.
We had an engagement session earlier in the year that was so much fun and I really got a chance to get to know them much better. We were old pals by the time the wedding came around. Arrin & Paul had a beautiful Virginia wedding with a reception at Fort Belvoir. I know this love will last for a looooonnnnng time. I'm so, so lucky to have had this special opportunity to document such a special day for the two of them.
Thank you, Wendy Hickok, for your second set of eyes, your creativity and fun energy!





































Labels:
Virginia,
Mary Gardella,
Fort Belvoir,
Wedding,
Pancreatic Cancer