T-minus 10 days until the wedding, and I get an email with this subject line: “We’ve made some changes…” And that, my friends, was a bit of an understatement.

Tori and Cody have been put through the wringer when it came to their wedding plans. When we met up to go through their wedding day at their original venue, they came prepared with a Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C. Changing the venue to a church location was, if I remember correctly, Plan D. I know I don’t have to say it, but they were absolute troopers. They even went so far as to thank me for being flexible. I always just had to take a step back and think about how remarkable you have to be to have all of your wedding plans changed 10 days before your wedding day and still have that much grace. They’re remarkable people, and I am so honored to be able to capture their wedding day.

Tori and Cody met at work. They’re both teachers, and their supervisor sat them next to each other for the first two days back at school (*eh ehmmm* intentionally - good one, supervisor!). They got to know each other more at work, and went on their first date a few weeks after school had started. They went on a hike near Tori’s house.

In Cody’s words, “We stopped along the trail and talked about the little things and the big things for a while as the sunset. We sat there like that and lost track of time. When we left I asked what she was doing the next day. Tori said she was going to church, I asked if I could join, she said yes, and that’s been our Sunday ever since.”

When I asked Tori what her favorite thing was about Cody, she said, “I love Cody’s heart for people, his kindness, and his butt! Cody cares about others in a huge way whether they are his friends, coworkers, or just someone who needs help. I feel so lucky that I get to love Cody for the rest of our lives!”

Cody proposed to Tori with an engagement ring rich with family history; the diamonds in Tori’s engagement band were originally stones in a pair of Cody’s grandmother’s earrings. Cody’s grandma - Mimi - left the earrings to Cody and his brother with the intention of the stones being used for their future wife’s engagement stones.

I think in a way we all sense that we’re living through history. I get that feeling on every wedding day, wondering which photos will end up on the mantle, or which photos will be shown to future grandchildren. I especially felt it on Tori and Cody’s wedding day, though. I photographed her wedding dress next to her mother’s wedding dress, and it was a beautiful moment of the past meeting the present.

Their day was full of a lot of happy tears, lucky rain, and plenty of laughter. I can tell they have a beautiful partnership ahead of them.

Favorite Detail: Tori wore her grandmother’s glasses chain around her bouquet, and a blue handkerchief as her ‘something blue’ beneath her dress.

Tear-Jerker-Moment: Definitely the daddy and daughter dance. Tori and her father both started to cry, and it was really sweet to see how much they both care about each other.

A Tori-and-Cody Kind of Love: A love that comes naturally and fast. Trusting and loyal, with a ton of laughter.