This bride learned to walk again for her wedding, and I got to paint it <3

The Couple:

Meet Jaquie & Andy, absolute sweethearts and completely in love. Jaquie lost the ability to walk after a traumatic accident. She made it her goal to walk down the aisle to Andy on the big day and went through grueling physical therapy for a year to make her dream a reality.

The Aisle:

Jaquie wanted her attempt to walk down the aisle to be a complete surprise to Andy and her guests. 

Success! The intensity in the room was like Jaquie had just won the world series by herself, it was a power feeling of joy. Andy was completely overwhelmed and happy. The celebrating was so real, everyone was laughing and crying and totally overjoyed for both of them. 

Seeing Her Surprise Gift:

Jaquie's mom hired me to paint the first dance, where Jaquie would dance with Andy for the first time ever without her wheelchair. Jaquie had no idea I would be at the wedding, even though she had hinted that she wished she could hire me. Her reaction at seeing me in the reception space was so awesome, we both cried!

I was painting a watercolor, so I started with a drawing of the space, to get the layout right. The space was Ambient Plus Studio in Atlanta, Ga, which is a loft space drenched in sunlight, and the bones of the room were all exposed, so my perspective had to be perfect before I could work on anything else.

The First Dance:

Andy was even more amazed when Jaquie left her wheelchair aside and stood for the first dance. She worked so hard to make that moment happen. 

Look at the emotion in the room. The first dance was as powerful as walking down the aisle for everyone. This was 200 people who love Jaquie and Andy more than anything, and they were all witnessing the culmination of a year's hard work and hope. The blurry easel in the background is me, haha, working away!

Here is a good image of the space, so you can compare the painting with the reality of the place. 

The Finished Painting:

If you spy dogs and cats in the painting, that's because Andy and Jaquie have 5 pets, all of which I snuck into the wedding scene. It's not a complete portrait without fur babies present, in my humble opinion (I'm dog obsessed).

This is a wedding I'll never forget- I loved being a surprise for such a sweet and deserving couple. Thanks for reading! Photo credits go to Love Stories by Halie and Alec, they are insanely talented!