She looked down clutching a piece of paper, sitting patiently in her chair. She was waiting for her turn. Her dad was reading her vows to his soon to be wife, Ali. Ali called her up and held her hand. Ali read her vows to Brendan and to his daughter Michaela. Then it was her turn. She grabbed her little envelope and opened it to get her piece of paper. Ali locked eyes with Brendan and her eyes filled with tears. Brendan so sweetly grabbed Ali’s hand.

Michaela stared up at Ali with tears in her eyes and read “I can’t wait to call you my mommy”. Ali pulled Michaela in so tight and Brendan could not hold his emotions in any longer as he began to cry. There was not a dry eye in the house, including me. This little girl was so excited to become a family and in that moment everyone knew what love was all about.

Ali and Brendan I cannot thank you enough for letting me document this special day. You were so caring, so thoughtful, so loving. I have never seen so much love and emotion between two people and a family. You two were meant for each other. I truly believe that. As you go through struggles and have some bad days remember this moment where you all pledged to be a family and remember how much you all mean to each other. Thank you for showing me and for showing others how to truly love someone.

Ali and Brendan got married on the beach in Seal Beach surrounded by their friends and family. Even Dierks Bentley stood by the alter and played his guitar as Ali walked down the aisle. This wedding was filled with so much love. Now time to get emotional.

Originally Ali and Brendan had wanted to plan a big wedding in Arizona, where they resided. But things can change in an instant. Brendan was a Granite Mountain Hotshot and unfortunately lost 19 of his brothers in 2013. The Yarnell Hill fire led to the greatest loss of American firefighter lives since 9/11. The aftermath of that day was such a tragedy. This hit home for me because I also knew one of the fallen heroes. After such a tragedy Brendan had the courage to seek support and has become a motivational speaker to help others recover after dark and tragic times. Ali was his rock and supported him during one of this darkest times. After starting to plan a big wedding Ali and Brendan decided they couldn’t wait to be together any longer and decided to elope in Seal Beach. This wedding was a celebration of life, love, and family and it means the world to be able to witness such love.