11/11/2025
Over the weekend, I witnessed Adrian and Xinlei renew their vows, surrounded by family and loved ones. There was something deeply grounding about it, something that stayed with me long after the words were spoken.
“Stay by me.”
That was the sentiment that lingered between them. Simple, steady, and enough.
The grandeur mattered less now. With their kids tugging at their hands and the wind brushing hair across their faces, they simply stood there, laughing, holding, being. It didn’t need to be perfect. It just needed to be true, and it was.
The vows still mattered, but less than before. What mattered more was their presence — the quiet choice to keep standing together after ten years of laughter, tears, and everything in between. Still choosing. Still saying I do, in their own quiet way.
It struck me then that this wasn’t just a celebration of love, but a testament to all they’ve overcome. A reminder that love isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s a quiet strength, a small reaching hand in the middle of life’s chaos.
In the storms, they found shelter in each other. Through laughter, tears, and every trial, they held on, mile by mile.
Maybe that’s what love truly is. Not a single vow, but a lifelong whisper:
I choose you. Still.
—
Thank you, Adrian and Xinlei, for letting me be part of your beautiful celebration. I was gutted not to have been there ten years ago to document your wedding, but grateful that life brought us full circle. Seeing what you’ve built together - a family so full of warmth and joy - makes me deeply happy.
Adrian (cue the inner dialogue, haha), I’ll always remember the days we hopped fences and crawled through abandoned places to take photos. The kind of adventures that left us with spooky stories better left untold. But hopefully one day, those stories will find their way into the tales we tell our little ones.
I’m so proud of what you’ve built, and who you’ve become.