Daniel and Maddie were married at St. Thomas Apostle Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The entire day was filled with joy-filled laughter and meaningful moments, and I couldn’t have asked for a more incredible way to start my wedding season this past year! Part of their decor at the reception was numerous framed letters that they would write to one another – so staying true to their ability to speak so eloquently through writing, I had these two share their musings of the day!

Daniel:

“Being married is the best thing that has ever happened to us! Exchanging vows of permanent love and fidelity have made a strong impression on my heart. Vows gain their seriousness when exchanged in sight of a community who will hold you to them. That’s a significant part of what people’s presence at our wedding meant to me. I want my mom to know how earnestly I love Maddie, and how far I would go to make our love everlasting. I want my aunts and uncles to see that the boy they helped form has turned into a man who is ready to make a commitment of a lifetime. I want my friends to see that there is so little room in love for selfishness and that a life committed to service to the other is the highest material good that a married couple can aspire to.

I loved looking around our church at the array of family and friends gathered to witness our love. For me, joy became sensorially perceptible. Promises became physical cords. Music became wind. God has blessed me with Maddie as my wife in ways I don’t even realize yet. I hope that seeking out those ways will be the adventure of a lifetime.”

Maddie:

“Our wedding was so many things to us: fun, uniting, celebratory, serious, eternal, and affirming. A moment that is burned into my memory is the moment when Daniel and I exchanged our vows. Our church encouraged us to memorize all of our vows, so that we could direct that moment and focus on each other instead of focusing on repeating what Fr. Michael was telling us. It became incredibly real when I looked Daniel in his eyes and promised to be true to him forever. Our engagement taught us the weight of that promise, and we still occasionally like to repeat our wedding vows to each other.”

If you haven’t started crying yet, look through these photos to see all the highlights of the day – and If you happened to miss it, check out their engagement session from our time in Willow River State Park: Daniel and Maddie