I’d like to share my current obsession with you, ModernMoms. Two words: WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY. I don’t think I’ll ever shake this new love of mine!

No, I’m not planning a wedding. No, I’m not a photographer. I’m just a girl who gets giddy when I discover a new blog or website with dreamy photos from someone’s magical wedding. Usually I don’t even know the bride and groom, but their pictures still melt my heart–I’m a sucker for this kind of stuff!

I’ve got a handful of engaged friends right now. In fact, my best friend got married this past December, so it’s safe to say I’m no stranger to everything wedding-related. My favorite part of all the lovey dovey-ness surrounding me, however, has been tracking the blogs and Facebook albums full of whimsical, romantic, and absolutely breathtaking photographic memories that these couples will always have. Every time I look at them I feel like I have an insider’s peek into the fire that blazes for each other in their hearts.

Surely part of my connection to these pictures stems from an ounce of envy deep down in my soul. I’m not ashamed to admit it–who doesn’t love love? When I get married I’d love to spend thousands on the photographer of my dreams. But it’s more than that; I feel like I have a special appreciation for it all.

Photographing a wedding must be intensely hard work. You’re literally a journalist for the day and your goal is to document everything as it happens. It’s as if the bride and groom have asked you to compile an illustrated timeline of how their special day went. Man, that’s pressure!

But it’s my opinion that this pressure produces the passion evident in the photos. Looking back on them is like hopping on a train that takes you through the couple’s entire journey together. You can feel their emotion, their history, and their future bubbling though that glossy paper and wafting through the air.

Photographs are an integral part of our lives. We love to document everything and we relish old pictures from way back when, don’t we? Wedding photos are especially treasured. I love looking at the memories captured at my own parents’ wedding–from the dresses, to my 4-year-old (at the time) cousin hamming it up for the camera in her lace gloves, to the giant indoor pastel balloon arch that my tearful mother had to accept because it rained on the day of her outdoor wedding. The photo album tells a precious story.

A popular trend these days is to have engagment pictures taken in addition to wedding photos. When this started happening you can imagine how excited I was…more photos to drool over! Capturing the glow of a newly engaged couple is priceless, but you know what? Nothing beats a woman in a white dress at her own celebration of love. There is nothing that compares to the look in the groom’s eyes when he sees his lifelong partner walking down the long aisle toward him. And nothing is better than being able to relive these cherished moments days, year, and decades later.

The best part about a wedding (besides officially being married henceforth!) is looking back on these gems. Whether they’re tucked away in an album, displayed prominently on the walls of your house, or in a locket worn near your heart, these pictures are definitely worth more than a thousand words.