My uncle hadn’t even gotten through singing his song when the room suddenly turned into a tearful crowd. His youngest daughter, my cousin Keshia, sat at a nearby table, held together by her new husband Jake. She couldn’t stop crying (and neither could I – thank goodness for my awesome buddy/2nd shooter Andrew who took a lot of the shots below); overcome by such emotion that she walked right up to her dad still crooning into the mic, and hugged him as tightly as she could.

As strong as my uncle has fought through his cancer, so too did Keshia and Jake fight through a long-distance relationship. My uncle has been an example of a simple but powerful philosophy that his daughter (and most of us) have taken to heart – there really is no better time than now. Love-NOW. Live-NOW. And that’s exactly what Keshia and Jake did. There was no need for a year’s worth of preparation for a huge wedding. What was important to them was starting a life together as soon as possible – why wait? 

The florals were put together by my awesome mom – roses and baby’s breath for the bridesmaids and orchids from her own little garden for the bride. My cousin, Dan and his roommate, Ken provided music for the ceremony and the reception. The banquet hall was not huge, but love and joy spilled out of every window and door. The guestlist was minimal, but each family member and close friend emanated such high spirits and boiseterousness that would shame the largest parties.

Keshia has always been like another little sister to me, but on her wedding day, she was a radiant, absolutely gorgeous bride and wife-to-be. Jake, who I hadn’t known very well, is exactly the warm, generous, kind man that deserves a woman like Keshia.

Thank you so much, dear cousin and cousin-in-law, for trusting me to record this most special day. I wish you two endless happiness!