It was a gorgeous blue bird day at Chanteclaire Farm, just outside of Deep Creek Lake, MD. The first thing that struck me was Alyssa's dress, an homage to Nick's South American roots (though at the time he had yet to know that...). The 2nd thing that struck me was the fact that she wanted her friends & family to join them for the First Look.

I think that says a lot. It says that they wanted to share one of their most intimate moment of the day with friends & family, their presence amplifying the moment.

One of the most memorable moments of the day was the speech by Alyssa's father. Commenting "I caught her crying to the soundtrack to the Lion King when she was about 7 years old and she said... 'you don't understand how it makes me feel!'", a nod to her depth of emotion, even as a little girl. He finished with an anecdote about a golf outing w/ Nick, and the 2 shared the biggest hug I've ever seen.

It was a day that was more than seen....it was felt...and I hope you feel the same things I felt when you see Alyssa & Nick's wedding photos.