I have officially come out of retirement from blogging to blog my best friend’s engagement photos. I have only been waiting for this moment for what feels like my entire life.
John and I have been friends with Morgan for about a decade, though it feels much longer than that. Our friendship started after I photographed a mutual friend’s wedding that Morgan was a bridesmaid in. Morgan was off in a room alone, practicing her violin solo for the ceremony. We chatted a bit about how John also played violin, etc. Morgan and I knew of each other in college, but our circles never collided because Morgan is an extrovert and often did all the fun things, and I’m quite the opposite and very much a homebody. (In fact I think the first photo of the two of us was from a night I didn’t want to go out, and inevitably, Morgan made me.)
Shortly after meeting Morgan, John and I moved to San Francisco where Morgan and I became actual pen pals and real friends. We sent gifts back and forth to each other and really got to know each other from millions of text messages. We quickly realized how similar we both were. We both were Florida Gator fans, we both love Taylor Swift, we’re both Libra Queens- (I’ll die on this hill, Morgan) and we both realized regular shit, just don’t excite us. We both feel things extremely deeply, which as you know is a blessing and a curse, but it’s nice to have a friend who feels what you feel, in almost all circumstances. Even better than loving almost all of the same things and same people, we also have the same distain for the same things and same people. To those folks, sorry, we’re not sorry.
When we moved back to Memphis, Morgan, John, and I (yes, it was always us three) would hang out weekly. Since we never had any weekends to share, Morgan would throw down with us on a random Tuesday where we would inevitably have too much to drink which would result in late nights- something Morgan is good at and something I am not. Morgan would pack up Lexi and Beale and bring them over for sleepovers. Tebow, Lexi, and Beale were also the best of doggy friends. Morgan let my people become her people, and her people became my people. Morgan introduced me to Brooxie before she passed. I was so glad I got to spend time and get to know Brooxie, because I knew she was so important to Morgan. Morgan knows all the main characters in my life, and even supporting actors, lol. That’s how all of Morgan’s friendships are. She knows about all the drama/tiffs that have happened in my life and not only has she been there to listen, she has also been a trusted opinion, and advice giver- even if the advice isn’t what I wanted to hear. She makes your problems her problems and won’t stop until she’s exhausted all options, and even then, she’ll still push buttons.
2020 was a real shit show for everyone, obviously, but 2020 is also the year Morgan lost Lexi. Lexi was Morgan’s Tebow, so seeing her go through all of the interventions and attempts to prolong and save Lexi’s life was painful as a bystander to watch. Morgan and I both knew Tebow’s clock was also ticking, so I know her going through the loss first gave her the insight of what I was going to feel when we inevitably also lost Tebow. We happened to be at my birthday dinner the night when I got a text from Morgan telling me it was time to tell Lexi goodbye. I jumped up from the table I was sitting at and rushed to Morgan’s house. John was extremely worried that I wouldn’t be able to handle seeing Lexi go, but I KNEW Morgan would come if I asked her to if it was Tebow. “Cornelia Street” was playing softly when I walked in. I sat next to Morgan and instantly I was hysterical. In that moment Morgan started to console ME, even though it was her first love who had just said goodbye to. That’s just the kind of friend Morgan is. She gives even when she has nothing to give. After giving birth, I went through some pretty extreme postpartum depression and I honestly just was not in a good place for a few months. Morgan texted me almost daily even though 90% of the time I wouldn’t respond. She would cry with me when I would finally open up, and she just really made an effort to let me know she had not forgotten me. Last October I knew Morgan was getting engaged and despite agreeing to photograph it, that day was pretty dark for me. I cried almost all the way there and wanted so badly to just sit it out, but I knew nothing except absolute death would keep Morgan from celebrating with me, had the tables been turned, so I looked in the mirror and said “You’re bigger than this and you can do it.” Because I knew Morgan would do the exact same for me.
To be honest, I’ve been writing Morgan’s engagement blogpost for years. Truly, I always knew one day I’d be sitting here writing about how I always knew this would really happen, and now here we are. There were times Morgan couldn’t see the sparkle of joy that was just over the hill, but I would constantly remind her that I could see it and that I never lost sight of it. I would encourage her and say things like “One day at your rehearsal dinner I’ll recall this moment when you weren’t sure we’d get here, but here we are.” While I couldn’t possibly have known it was Tyler, I couldn’t imagine anyone more perfect for Morgan, than you, Tyty.
Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, lol) for Tyler, he met John + I the night before we found out we were pregnant. He’s only ever known us in our mom + dad era, but Morgan picked someone who is just as loyal, supportive, and flexible as she is, so our friendship with Tyler never wavered despite our drastic lifestyle change. He loved Tebow hard for the few months he knew him, he hauled Jack’s antique dresser all the way from Nashville, he was a huge help at our baby shower, and loved me through the dark days right after having Jack, just like Morgan did.
As I have become a parent, there have been lots of times in the last year, where I have realized just how valuable time is. I have to be very careful with who I give my time to these days, since there is just so little of it. When I think about the people who I want to make sure are in my life when I am old and grey, I think of Morgan and Tyler. They show up in full force when you need them, and they set aside time and put in the effort, even when their schedules are also busy (which is always.) Quite honestly, I believe I am a better friend from watching Morgan be so good at it. I’ve seen her travel out of the state and travel out of the country just to be a guest at a wedding she was invited to. She has shown me how to show up for the ones you want to stick around in life, even if showing up requires more gas than you currently have in the tank. She has shown me how to be a reliable friend who follows through with plans, even when life’s little inconveniences get in the way. In fact, recently, Morgan, Tyler, John and I had dinner plans we made months in advance (because, hello having kids, owning multiple businesses, planning a wedding, etc) and the day of our dinner Morgan had not one but TWO dental fillings on top of getting her eyebrows microbladded. Any other person would have asked to reschedule dinner, but not Morgan. She rallied as she always does because when she makes a commitment to someone, she honors it. This is how I know Morgan will be the best partner to Tyler, and the best mother to her future kids. Morgan loves hard and has proven over and over that you can choose your family, and John, Jack, and I are so lucky to be a part of Morgan’s family. In fact, I’ve claimed Madison as my brother so he’s stuck with me now. Mr. Marty was quick to check on me recently with a small dermatologic crisis, and Mrs. Michelle doesn’t miss a beat with keeping up with our lives and always is so thoughtful and helpful with advice and suggestions. I got to spend time with sweet Abbie before she passed, and she loved as hard as all the other Pettigrews. I had too much fun laughing with her at the Heather McMahon show and to this day, I am so glad I got such a small snippet of time with her. Maybe the “P” in KGP stands for “Kelly Ginn Pettigrew.” Now y’all are ALL stuck with me.
Somehow, I have the honor of documenting the culmination of Morgan’s dreams as they come true while also standing beside her, cheering her on, as always, THIS WEEKEND!
As I close this lengthy blog post that I’ve been working on for years, I am so eager to capture every magical moment of Morgan and Tyler’s wedding. I can’t help but feel a rush of all of the emotions. Morgan’s wedding is a testament to the beautiful friendships she has built over the years, one that has weathered life’s storms and celebrated life’s joys.
Morgan, they don’t make them like you anymore! Let’s go get you married!
Hair: Emily Cohen | Makeup: Kasey Acuff
