As you can probably imagine given the nature of my job, I hear a lot of stories about love. While each of these stories have a particular uniqueness to them, Peg and Martin’s story was unlike anything I had ever heard – and while I’m about to tell you all of the ways in which their story is different, one of the most important reasons why I’d imagine this story began in the first place is because these two are different – but more on that later. Right now, I want to tell you about how this American woman met this Irishman.

A little over ten years ago, Peg and her friend Sara took a trip to Ireland. While there, they met a guy named Glenn, who invited them to his upcoming wedding. So they decided to attend this wedding, and Peg was introduced to Glenn’s brother, Martin, and this completely unexpected moment in time would in turn shape the course of both Peg and Martin’s lives. In the years that followed, the two of them would continue to fall in love with one another, and they took long distance to a new level with flights back and forth between Ireland and Chicago to see one another. After long distance wedding planning and some added stress from also preparing for Martin’s move to Chicago and waiting on his fiancé visa to come through, they were married on St. Patrick’s Day this year with one of the most beautiful, love-filled celebrations I’ve ever witnessed.

So you see, on paper these two already have an incredibly epic story, which is why when I tell you that this isn’t even the greatest thing about them, you’re probably like “oh, come ON, Brooke”. But the thing is, the greatest element about Martin and Peggy is the way they make each and every person in their life feel – they make you feel loved, and excited, and there’s this joy and sincerity oozing out of them at all times. I was talking to one of the instrumentalists that played during their ceremony while I photographed their reception, and she and I laughed over the fact that although we had both just met Peg and Martin while working with them, we both professed our love for them to each other and felt as though we had known them for much longer than that. She said “they make you feel like you could do anything, you know?” and I found myself nodding my head emphatically in agreement. There’s something inspiring about not only their love, but who they each are as human beings – genuine and loving with the kindest of hearts – that makes you feel like nearly anything is possible. I drove home from spending this day with them with a giant smile on my face, and have noticed that one crept up on me while I’ve been writing this, too. And I have a feeling that anyone who has spent time with these two knows exactly what this feels like.

Reception Venue: The Pavilion at Orchard Ridge Farms