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The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:21
Sometimes it is difficult to understand what the Lord does and why - but we praise and trust even in the storms. That is faith - and faith is hard. But there is one particular person who has inspired faith in me and so many others and it was one of my brides - Mariana.
Mariana and Nate were married in St. Pete on October 28, 2023 and they were the sweetest couple you ever did meet. Their wedding was filled with joy and you could just see how much they loved each other.
Tragedy struck 3 days later when I received a message that Nate had devastatingly passed away on their honeymoon. I couldn't believe it.
After this news, I rushed to edit as many photos as I could so she could look upon his face in this time of deep suffering. This was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my career - but when she received the photos and told me, "You have no idea how much joy these pictures brought me", I felt this sense of purpose and meaning behind being a photographer that I had never felt before.
These photos brought her joy in a time where I can't even imagine what she felt. These photos were able to give her precious memories, frozen in time, of Nate and their love for each other - and that was the greatest gift I could have given as a photographer and friend.
My heart was truly shattered for this beautiful, God-fearing couple. I often asked, “Why, God?”. But very quickly, I saw beauty in this tragedy. I saw a community rally together for support, love, prayers and hope for Mariana and Nate and their families. I saw a faith unlike I have ever seen before from his family. And I saw something that absolutely rocked me to my core - that in the midst of her deep suffering, Mariana praised the Lord and trusted Him and His greater plan. It made me question - “Would I do that? Is my faith so unshakable?”
She inspired me to have a truly deep, solid trust in the Lord in which nothing can take it away.
And behold, “the Lord giveth”.
A short while after this tragedy, I received news that filled me with an immense amount of joy. The Lord gave Mariana and Nate a son. A TRUE miracle of conception - a total gift from God. In the midst of sorrow, the Lord blessed Mariana with a child - and we welcomed Raphael into this world a few days ago! His life is such a gift. Mariana’s life is a gift. Nate’s life (earthly and heavenly) is a gift. YOUR life is a gift.
Join me in praying for Baby Raphael, Mariana, Nate’s soul and their family and friends.
I am so grateful to God that I could have played even a tiny role in giving Mariana joy in the midst of tragedy.
If you would like to read more about their story - I invite you to visit the following articles:
This blog post of, The Importance of Wedding Photos in the Midst of Tragedy, was written by Florida and Destination documentary wedding photographer, Right Up Your Allie Photography.
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