Your wedding day is a very special day. And anyone else’s wedding day is just as special to them, even if it runs a little outside of what a “normal” wedding would be.
Ashley Rice was planning her big day and she was considering all those “first look” photos. But this is something she didn’t really want to share with her soon-to-be-husband. They would have plenty of time during their lives for first looks. This is something she, instead, wanted to share with her brother.
Says Ashley: “I had always imagined us seeing each other as I walked down the aisle. I was chatting with a friend at work about what I should do, and she instantly said, ‘Well you obviously need to do one with your brother,’ and it just clicked.” A little odd, perhaps, but you must understand… Ashley’s little brother, Nick, has Down syndrome, and Ashley considers him her best friend.
Says Ashley: “My relationship with Nick is a beautiful one, but also a normal one. I’m his biggest supporter and we love each other fiercely. But, he is still my little brother and we do normal things that brothers and sisters do. We bicker and we annoy each other. We frustrate each other at times, and then the next day they are forgotten, and we’re back to normal, and that’s normal. At least it is for us.”
She said her little brother’s reaction to the First Look was one of being speechless. When she told her future husband, Brian, what she was planning on doing, he said “’You are the most indescribable person in the world. I can’t even describe it.’
It was a very sweet moment between them, she said, and they both had tears in their eyes. And then, there was the photographer who captured the First Look moments between brother and sister.
That photographer was Kelsey Gene, and this is what she posted on her Facebook page: “Ohhh my…This wedding day was extraordinary for many reasons. But possibly one of my favorite moments was the special first look Ashley planned for her little brother, Nick. Before the ceremony, these two carved out a moment to spend together. And it was so special and pure. Nick had some very heartfelt thoughts to share with his sister. When I tell you, that there was not a dry eye in the room… oh yes I was right along with them in tears. I love that Ashley and her husband Brian chose to include moments in their day that felt right to them, even if it’s a little outside the ‘normal’ or ‘traditional’. It’s so important to remember that this day is about your relationship, your families, and your values. And guess what? That’s different for everyone!” So what special things did you include in YOUR wedding?
