They met in high school. On a double date. With other people.

That detail says everything about these two. When the right person is right there, it doesn’t really matter what the plan was.

Sidonie and Adam have a quiet ease about them that you notice immediately. They don’t need to fill the silence, it’s enough that the other one is there. That kind of comfort isn’t something you build in a year or two. It’s the kind that comes from really knowing someone.

Before the ceremony, they had their first look where they said their vows privately to each other. Both of them cried. It was one of those moments where you can tell two people have been paying close attention to each other for years. They knew exactly who they were promising themselves to, and it showed on their faces.

The ceremony at Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church was beautiful and unlike anything we’d photographed before. Father Mario has known Adam since he was a child, and during the ceremony he said that weddings like this one are extra special to him because he gets to watch someone he’s known for so long step into this moment. He got a little choked up saying it. The Crowning, the joining of hands, the Dance of Isaiah, the three circles around the altar. All of it felt personal in a way it can only when the person leading it actually knows you.

Sidonie and Adam, you two have been building something for a long time. Thank you for letting us be there the day you made it official.

Here are the images we can’t stop thinking about.

P.S. To the engaged couples reading this right now, Sidonie says: just be present. Don’t let all the planning get in the way of enjoying being fiancés. The day will come together. Don’t miss the time leading up to it. And when it comes to choosing your photographer, find someone knowledgeable who knows how to work with your day, not around it.