One of the most fantastic parts about love is how much it evolves over time. What starts as a tiny sunburst suddenly expands to fill your life with so much light + joy, as though there was never a world without it. Love, as they often say, is utterly transcendent; no matter where you go, or how you both change, it is always there, following your paces.

Getting to photograph such a momentous occasion in your life is the most incredible experience for me, because essentially, I’m witnessing the beginning of your universe. And as time goes on, I am always so happy to revisit the love I once saw – just more seasoned, more mature, and much richer from all the years you’ve spent together as a married couple (whether it’s one year or fifty).

When Valerie approached me about photographing a vow renewal for her + Mike, I was so on board. Even though I wasn’t there for Valerie + Mike’s wedding ten years ago, or for their sweet engagement at the Montauk Lighthouse, it felt as though I had known them since the very beginning – when they were just two people starting out in love, searching for that forever we all crave. Their vow renewal was one of the most intimate and stunning experiences, with no guests and just the two of them, reveling in the lives they’ve shared over the past several years. Ten years of marriage, one super sweet son, and a love that still has the spark of that brand new starburst. Valerie + Mike were so excited, so ethereal, and unequivocally in love as they looked at each other for the millionth – but really, the first – time.

And as the waves crashed against the beach at Montauk Yacht Club, I felt a pull deeper than a rip current: Valerie + Mike are soulmates, no matter the passage of time, no matter the storms that may fare – just together, as they should be.

Congratulations, Valerie + Mike. I am so honored that you chose me to photograph your vow renewal. May the two of you (and your son!) always be as happy as you were on this day!

XO KAITLYN