Kristan and Maverick | Manhattan, KS Wedding

Life is a series of firsts. And all those firsts are what keep us going. Keep us growing and changing and motivated for all the amazing things that will come our way. But when you get to experience lots of firsts in the same day, you kind of feel like you've won the lottery.

On this particular day, two firsts particularly stood out among the rest. To start with, this was the very first wedding and reception ever held at the beautiful new Eleven Fifteen Venue and Urban Garden in Aggieville. What a stunning space! How lucky for our wonderful bride and groom to go down in history as the first, and for us to be the ones to tell the story. But most importantly, in 12 years of shooting weddings, this was the first time we got to work with a couple who was as young as we were when we said "I do" [in Aggieville, no less, where we met]. And we can't imagine a more perfect couple to fill these shoes.

People so rarely commit to marriage at younger ages these days, but when you know...you just know. Kristan and Maverick are both from small towns, and they have been together for four years. Four years, people! They met at church camp when she was about to start high school [him, two grades ahead of her]. They "knew" even then, and they never looked back. In Kristan's words, "...our opposite-ness attracts in ways that we can't control, and there was no other solution but to get married." We couldn't agree more, guys. Our almost 20 years of marriage must be proof of something. That's our story at least, and we're sticking to it.

Kristan and Maverick, you guys "get it". That was apparent to everyone on your big day. And "getting it" will get you far. Farther than many. But marriage is work. It is a blessing and a gift, but it is work. It won't always be easy, and there will be days where you will love each other, but you won't like each other. And that's ok. You chose each other. And you chose love. So just love each other through it all. Love each other above everyone else, and you'll do just fine. And we hope that in 20 years, you might call us, or email us, or send us a message through whatever means mankind is communicating through by then, so that we can go back to Manhattan and make a portrait of what 20 years of marriage looks like.