i met chelsea + joe at think coffee right off union square back in 2019 when the world was a bit simpler, and we didn't have to think twice about packing an extra mask and some hand sanitizer. flash forward an unexpectedly extra year and a few scheduling changes later and meet us in brooklyn, finally making it happen!
chelsea + joe chose a passage from the ruling on obergefell v. hodges to be shared during their ceremony. for those of you who don't know, this was the supreme court ruling that later led to nation-wide marriage equality. while i pinky promised chelsea i wouldn't cry, i couldn't help but shed a few tears behind my camera.
no union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. in forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. as some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. it would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization's oldest institutions. they ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. the constitution grants them that right.
i feel very lucky to have so many beautiful people in my life, and to be able to celebrate love every day of my life. on the best days, the job becomes a friendship and a party and a newfound connection. here's to many more days like these.
venue: dumbo loft
videography: stefanie hurtado (www.stefaniehurtado.com)