LINCOLNSHIRE MARRIOT WEDDING: MELISSA MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY: MARK + STEPHANIE

Wedding days are filled with special moments. I always encourage people to not rush out of the moment, or divert how they truly feel in that moment. This is the day that they have been waiting for, and if you're a parent, it's quite literally been a lifetime of praying that the person your child marries one day is amazing and worthy of the other's love. As hurried as the getting ready process can feel (trust me, we've padded time for all the reasons) don't hurry out of moments, especially with those you love. If it's not the worry of time, I think often times brides want to avoid such moments to not ruin their makeup. If you've chosen a good makeup artist, they have made you cry, sweat, melt on the dance-floor proof! That makeup aint goin' anywhere! The moment however, is! So soak it in. These times with loved ones are irreplaceable.

Stephanie wore her mother's wedding dress. First off, how stunning and on trend couture is it to this day!? Beyond the beauty of it, what a meaningful moment. As a mom myself, I can't imagine the emotions of zipping up my daughter in my wedding dress. She then did what has become a tradition within the weddings in their family; a first look with her dad who gifts a pair of Tiffany & Co. pearl earrings to the bride. A first look with dad is another moment that often on the wedding day is tempting to try and hold it together. My advice...don't. Whatever that feels like for you, react authentically: cry, laugh, practice your first-dance, whatever it may be, be it together.

I've captured all 3 daughters weddings for this family. Let me first say, it's not lost on me the honor that it is to be asked to do so. I know with each of the weddings they were going to be beautiful. That was a given. But what I love most is the bond they have. The traditions. The legacy that they've carried through on some of the most meaningful days of their life. And someday, they'll get to feel first-hand if and when their own kids get married, just how special these moments were to have with their parents.