Vow Renewal Ceremony in Cathedral Park

We were originally going to go to Lost Lake, where Kirista and Stacy held their wedding one year ago on a torrentially rainy day, but this summer’s wildfires had forced the closure of the campground just days before our planned vow renewal ceremony. Not to be deterred, Kirista and Stacy chose to do their ceremony in Cathedral Park instead. The couple had loved their wedding at Lost Lake, but the torrential downpour during the ceremony had also meant they didn’t have some of the things that they had wanted out of their wedding day, like photos where they weren’t soaked to the bone and being able to have their dogs as a part of the ceremony. Kirista and Stacy had also been through alot in the last year. They wanted to honor this first year of marriage, the tough stuff and the beautiful things, the act of choosing one another each and every day.

An overcast, slightly smoky red sky greeted us Saturday morning. Cathedral Park was mostly empty, except for a few early morning dog walkers and a photographer taking senior portraits. There were 4 of us: the couple, myself and Nicole, their friend and photographer. This time around, they didn’t get soaked by the rain, they got to have their beloved dogs participate in the ceremony and it was just the two of them, their love, their words, their moment.

This was my favorite moment of the ceremony. Stacy had purchased a new “blingy” ring for Kirista, but Kirista had no idea. This is the moment of surprise as we all tried not to cry. Love is in these little moments. It is in the listening and the giving and the receiving.

Their love is built on intention and choice and trust. I am grateful to have been a witness to this love, to this act of choosing one another this day and every day.

-Emily

All photos by Nicole Elizabeth Taylor