Bobby and Liz's Backyard Wedding in Western Pennsylvania | July 17, 2020 | Indiana, PA

This past weekend, I had the profound honor of photographing the wedding of my little {read: not so little} baby brother, A.K.A trying to coherently push camera buttons while bawling my eyes out.  Like Pete and myself, as well as so many other couples this year, my brother and his new wife Liz had a large wedding celebration planned for July in southwestern PA, but when Covid hit, it completely derailed their plans.  They decided, however, that they were still ready to be wed, so they moved forward with a smaller wedding in the backyard of the house we grew up in.  In a way, it seems like it was the most fitting thing possible for my brother, the most sensitive and nostalgic person I know.  He loves his home.  It seems only right that he walked my mom down the aisle to her seat past the place that a dirt pile used to sit where he and his childhood best friend and now Best Man used to play for hours with their kid-sized backhoe.  Past the deck where we would watch the 4th of July fireworks over Mack Park as Nana made us say "Oohh" and "Aww" because that's what you're supposed to say when you watch fireworks.  Past his "pitching mound" in the backyard where he threw the ball for so many hours that he rubbed the ground raw.  To the corner where our swing set used to sit in the yard before it became rusted and outgrown.

I've been big on looking for silver-linings amidst the disruptions to our lives over the last few months, and being able to photograph this wedding was one of those silver linings.  When he was going to have a big wedding ceremony, I wasn't going to shoot it because I wanted to enjoy the day without the stress of helping to choreograph everything.  But when it came time for their backyard microwedding, I knew I would get to experience the best of both worlds.  I got the immense privilege of using the skills and interests God has given me to help my brother grip tightly to one of these special, special fleeting moments in life.  Talk about a silver lining.  Robert Andrew Rickard, I love you more than you will ever comprehend, and I don't care how old you get, I will always fiercely love and protect you as my little (not so little) baby brother.  Excuse me while I go continue my personal cry-fest. Byeee!