Lauren and Gregg are two of the most amazing people I’ve had the pleasure to work with as a Denver wedding photojournalist. I had flown out to Washington DC to do a corporate shoot and was just packing up my equipment in the building lobby when they approached me and asked if I could make some portraits for their company website. They had been watching me work and thought I would be a good fit. When I sent them the pictures, they called me and asked me to shoot their wedding. They’ve been quite successful navigating the complexities of federal and state government real estate, but when it comes to major decisions they tend to follow their instincts.

Lauren with the officiant, soon to be her brother in law.

Lauren’s father walks her down the aisle.

These two had chemistry in spades. They are a unit, they are a team, and two of the kindest people I’ve ever met.

Everyone seems to offer advice on where and how to sign a marriage license…

…but no one tells you not to flip the pages over the votive candles. Their signatures were blacked out, but I think the contract holds.

Some people think you have to have two photographers to cover all angles at an event, but photojournalists manage to do it all the time. The trick is to anticipate, and to move. It works pretty well.

Gregg’s daughter with his mother. He had a few kids going into his relationship with Lauren, and this was a pivotal day in their lives as well. When kids are involved, it’s not just the union of a couple, but of a family. There are complex emotions present, and I feel they are very much a part of the story.

Gregg’s dad after his toast…

…and Lauren’s sisters during their roast.

Gregg with his youngest son.

Not everyone is a natural on the dance floor.

Family matters. It’s their day too.

When Gregg’s mom talks to someone, she is so warm and present they feel they are the only other person on earth. I wanted to sneak her onto the plane back to Denver.

Little stories are everywhere. As a Denver wedding photojournalist, I love weddings because I can be in the midst of all these dynamics and no one ever asks why I’m there. I’m the help. I’m like the guy refilling water glasses, in plain sight but also invisible. It’s liberating.

Gregg and Lauren have built a retreat and started a foundation, Restore the Restorers, which will someday become a movement to provide restoration to first responders, counselors, therapists, and veterans, people who devote their lives to helping others. They take care of everyone else, but who takes care of them? Their jobs are critical, but the burnout rate is high as they become mentally and emotionally depleted. These two now devote most of their time and resources to those so easily overlooked. To spend any time at all with them is to find this not only unsurprising, but inevitable.