Anniversary Session in Bellingham
Celebrating Our Love
I’m late in getting this blog published, but it’s been sitting in my drafts for weeks with the intention of raising some awareness around July is Disability Pride Month. Rather than wait around another year, I’m accepting that sometimes running a business and caring for my family is a lot—I’m allowed to be late getting a blog out! I also have a rather dry sense of humor, so forgive me for that. For those who don’t know, I (Jenn) am the photographer behind Wild Coast, and my husband (Dillen) is a recent amputee. While he is on his own journey navigating loss, I am doing my best to learn how to be his advocate and ally.
What I’ve learned is that Disability Pride is about pride in so much more than titles and labels, it’s about visibility. It’s about pride in accomplishments, and pride in survival. It’s about community, and building each other up. It’s about advocacy, and the realities of a lifelong battle for healthcare equity. It’s about showing up, boldly, in a society that has time and time again failed to accommodate for essential, life-giving adaptions.
So while my allyship to Dillen takes on many forms, today it is sharing a little about our story, and using my platform to take up space showcasing a couple who aren’t two able-bodies folks.
And remember, as you look through these photos and read this blog, that folks with disabilities take all forms. Some disabilities are visible, others are not. Disability does not discriminate, and folks from all walks of life are members of this community.
These are images of me and my love, so naturally I didn’t take the pictures. Instead, our wonderful friend Bree was kind enough to send over the RAW files, so I edited her images in my style. Us photographers like to give credit where credit is due, so no mistaking that!
Photography by Breeanna Lasher // Edits by me.
Dillen and I met in 2017 when I was living in Dublin, Ireland. In a very roundabout twist of events, I was working at the bike shop he’s worked at the year previously. He stopped in to say hey to his old coworkers one day in December and the rest is history. Within 5 minutes of talking I’d asked him if he’s like to grab a pint that evening, and he said yes without telling me he doesn’t drink. That night began what would become a year of long-distance resulting in a very sweet proposal and I decided to move back to the states.
We got married in July 2019, and you can see photos from our wedding here. While our story hasn’t been easy by any definition, it’s been an adventure. I’m so grateful to be doing life alongside this beautiful soul!
