susie & steve: a rare kind of love.

for the years that susie and steve spent together, he said he always knew susie was his person. she was the one he wanted to be with for the rest of his life. susie knew that steve was her person too. she knew he was an amazing man. she knew he loved her unconditionally. she knew he made her laugh, she knew their interests were aligned, and he made her feel comfortable and happy. they ran marathons together and they were madly in love. over the years, steve asked susie to marry him a few times and each time she kept saying no. not because she wanted to say no, but because she felt like she should say no. she was holding back because she knew she was terminally ill. she knew she had end stage cancer and she knew that eventually it would cut her life short, she didn't want him to be strapped to all of her bills and she didn't want to build these dreams with him only to have them taken away. but that's not the way steve saw it. he wanted her, all of her. so he kept trying. a couple of weeks ago, they went to her doctor and he told them that susie had only a few days to live, maybe a couple of weeks, he told them. so steve tried again to get susie to be his bride. this time she said yes. 

before the ceremony.... they prepared each other.

love these words. my mom wrote and performed the ceremony. it was all they hoped it'd be.

their dear friends put the wedding together in only three short days. everyone came together to help it all happen just like they wanted it to. it was such a beautiful experience for everyone involved. more people came than expected so i actually shot the ceremony from outside of the room, but it didn't matter. i think we all still remember how it felt to be there.

they exchanged their rings.

and he finally got to put that ring on her finger.

steve is such a sweet, sincere, gentle, honest man. he loved her unconditionally and it showed. i will remember them and their love as long as i live.

married! finally ;)

daffodils, susie's favorite.

i love this photo of her being greeted by all the people who love her. she is just beautiful.

her face when she saw her cake was priceless. the look of gratitude when she showed up and everything was ready. one of her best friends handed her the bouquet, she appreciated everything. every little thing.

it had been a hard road, and steve was always her soft place to fall. they used to run marathons together until she got really sick. whether she was tired from running miles and miles or tired from her illness, he was there just the same.

susie passed away last night, with steve by her side, like always. it was such an honor to be able to meet susie, she had such a sweet soul. i know that i will continue to get to know steve - he has forever inspired me already by his ability to love so purely. i got the photos from their wedding day to them the day after so that susie could see all of them. it was the greatest compliment i've ever gotten hearing her words of appreciation for capturing this day for them. the day of their wedding was the last day that she really felt GOOD and words can't say how happy i am that their dream was able to come true that day. steve, my heart goes out to you and all of susie's wonderful friends and family.

a quote that was used in the ceremony (they wanted to incorporate runner's wisdom, which i loved) that i think is fitting and metaphoric and beautiful... "in running, it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. you can say, 'i have finished.' there is a lot of satisfaction in that."