By Sarah Barrett

Get your tissues ready, friends, because this is going to be one long and sappy blog post. My brother, Luke, married the love of his life on December 5th, and if you want to know how photographing his wedding went, I’ll tell you that I learned how to photograph and cry at the same time that day. Luke is one of four brothers that I have, and he is the closest in age to me. Because we were so close in age, he’s been my best friend for my entire life.

On a chilly December morning, we all couldn’t believe this day was finally here. Luke and Gaby were finally getting married. Everything was perfect from the temperature outside to the florals adorning the arch. It was a great day for a wedding. With roses, greenery, wooden details, and lanterns, everything was in place for the ceremony. Their ceremony was spoken in both English and Spanish as Luke and Gaby have family members that needed both. I think Spanish has a way of making words of love sound even better. Luke and Gaby wrote vows for each other that had all the guests laughing and crying. What a beautiful ceremony it was. Luke and Gaby excitedly walked back down that aisle together after the ceremony was over.

The reception was filled with great and emotional speeches by close friends and family members as well as tons of pastries from Luke and Gaby’s favorite bakery, Porto’s. Cindy and I absolutely loved their wedding and the attention to detail they had.

I am so happy for my brother, Luke, that he has found a wonderful bride. I thought I would share my favorite memory I have of him so that you all could get to know the man he is. If you already know Luke, you know he is huge on jokes. He loves to tell them. He loves to laugh at them. He loves to be them. He just loves to joke around and make other people giggle along with him. But, if you really know Luke, you know that he feels things very deeply–especially when it comes to his Christian faith. Behind his comedic and manly exterior, there is a loving, passionate, and grounded man. I say this to give you some background into Luke’s heart.

When we were in high school, Luke and I would go around campus on our lunch break and talk to other students about Jesus. I would always let him do the talking as I was timid at that time, but he was fearless. He even preached in the middle of campus one day to a small group of students as other students berated him and threw food at him. Because Luke cares about other peoples’ spiritual well-being, it didn’t matter to him if others were criticizing him. He just wanted to start a conversation and get people thinking about things in this life that are truly important.

Now, you might be thinking that what I just mentioned was my favorite memory of my brother, Luke. You would be wrong. One day, Luke wanted to take a break from evangelizing on our lunch break to go in our choir room to pray for the other students. Sitting in that choir room in silence, we prayed individually. Luke began to weep. Looking at the other students in the choir room and not wanting them to see, he wept behind my shoulder as we continued to pray. If there’s anything I want people to know about Luke, it’s that he cares so deeply for other people. He cares about their well being. The shortest verse in the Bible says, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). I think that is a sign of Christian manliness–to weep over others.

I adore my brother. Of course, it’s hard to imagine that anyone can be worthy of being his spouse; however, Gabriela Gallardo certainly is. She is a grace-filled, patient, kind, determined, and driven woman. She exudes beauty in ways I wish I did. Getting to know her the past few years has been a joy as every conversation I have gives me more confidence that Luke has found a woman who will be the best wife. I am proud to call Miss Gaby my friend and sister. She has enough spunk, honesty, and wit to keep up with Luke (I would even go so far as to say she has more), and she is sweet and gentle in ways Luke needs. I can’t imagine anyone being a better fit for my brother.

To Luke and Gaby, you are absolutely wonderful together, and I am so excited for your future as husband and wife. Marriage is so sweet. You both mean so much to me, and I wanted to thank you for always extending kindness my way. Keep the texts and phone calls coming. I cherish every word. Keep laughing and making memories together and never stop going on adventures. I hope you love your wedding photos and see the joy in them that I do.