Maddie & Adam // Cielo at Castle Pines Denver Wedding
Maddie and Adam were born a few weeks apart, met as infants, reunited when they were 5 years old, reconnected in high school, went to prom together, fell in love during their college years, and tied the knot in Denver last year on October 24th. Yep, you read that all right. Their story is absolutely wild and epic, and they are two of the best people I’ve ever met.
Their mothers were best friends in high school, and stayed close after graduating. Somehow, they coincidentally got pregnant at the same time and had the same freaking due date! Maddie, never one to be late for a party, arrived early, while Adam, always right on time, was born in July around his due date.
There is a photo of their mamas, Shery & Ruth, pregnant with them (see below), and incredible home video footage of them as 4 month old babies meeting for the first time—I’ve seen it with my own eyes and can still hardly believe it’s real…
They grew up hearing about one another’s accomplishments and happenings, and realized over time that their lives seemed oddly parallel: Adam would win a school award one week, and Maddie would win one one the following week. Adam would hurt himself on his bike, and the next week Maddie would fall of of hers. Despite their mothers staying close friends, they were separated by a couple thousand miles in Denver and New York respectively, and saw each other only occasionally for various family events (mainly Bar & Bat Mitzvahs.) There is a precious photo of them, both around 5 years old, at a park in San Francisco, sitting backwards on a bench together… a moment that will come back into play later in their story. :’) *So remember it* (And see the photo below.)
Once they were old enough to keep in touch independently, they added each other on Facebook and would intermittently catch up & chat. When they were both seniors in high school and had developed a pretty strong friendship, Adam took a chance and invited Maddie to his senior prom. Despite needing to fly in to be his date, she said yes, and jetted to New York to join him for the dance. It was only the 6th time they’d ever seen each other, but that night, sparks flew. They had their first kiss at the prom, and realized they really did have romantic feelings for each other. Regardless of the connection they felt, the two could hardly entertain the idea of a relationship—they lived across the country from one another and would be attending colleges 900 miles away.
Despite questioning the practicality of beginning a romantic relationship, Maddie & Adam continued to pour time + energy into their friendship. They spent countless hours on the phone during their freshman year in college—Adam usually pacing around his college campus, and Maddie hanging out in her dorm basement—and eventually realized there was nothing they could do to fight their blossoming feelings for one another. During their second semester, Maddie says she realized she was in love with Adam. Adam undoubtedly felt the same.
That October, Maddie visited Adam at the University of Rochester, and they had a “now-or-never” moment. The duo realized there would always be a million reasons why they shouldn’t + couldn’t be a couple, but they just couldn’t deny their feelings, & were going to be together no matter what it took.
From there, they began their long-distance relationship, with visits every 6 weeks and summer trips to Israel & Italy. When they gradated in 2017, they moved to California to pursue graduate degrees, and had only a 45-minute drive between them. Not perfect, but definitely an improvement from 900 miles. :)
On October 13th, 2018 (the 4th anniversary of their first date) Adam proposed to Maddie at the same San Francisco bench where they sat as 5-year-olds in that classic photo. He thoughtfully (in quintessential Adam style) narrowed down the exact spot the photo was taken by running around and using Google Street View, and had a friend waiting at the park to photograph the moment. Afterwards, he surprised Maddie again when she learned both of their families flew into SF to celebrate their engagement. :’)
A mutual family friend connected me to Adam & Maddie, and I really still need to send them a luxury fruit basket to thank them for bringing these angels into my life. Almost two years ago now, I met the future Rosensteins at the beach in Malibu for their engagement session, & subsequently fell in love with them.
This is the part of the blog that I’ve been actively procrastinating trying to write since their wedding in October, because I have trouble putting my love for these two into words contained in the English dictionary. But I’m gonna try!!!!
Adam and Maddie are like a pancake breakfast. They are like lemonade on a summer’s day. They are like finding water in the desert. They are the sun after rain. They are a warm hug. They are two of the kindest, funniest, sweetest people I’ve ever met, and they have the biggest, deepest, warmest hearts. It’s no question why they found their soulmate in one other—they are just plain magnetic and magnificent in every way.
After their engagement session, the three of us went to dinner, and hit it off like a house on fire. They are outrageously personable and easy to get along with, and I’ve felt pretty dang fortunate to call them my good friends ever since that fateful evening. In the last two years, we’ve shared burrito dinners at their apartment, pickle corndogs (yes, that’s a thing, look it up) at downtown Disney, and ice cream cones aplenty.
Like so many other couples who planned to wed in 2020, Maddie & Adam wanted to make sure they could celebrate with all of their loved ones safely, and thus had to postpone their celebration one year. After what seemed like a lifetime of loving one another, what was one more short year?! In the interim between their original wedding date & their modified plans, they faced a unique set of challenges: pivoting their wedding from Orange County to Denver, and eventually temporarily relocating to Colorado to be closer to family going through health obstacles. Ultimately, they not only switched cities & venues, but also downsized from several hundred guests to 85 VIPs out of an abundance of caution for immunocompromised loved ones.
When October finally rolled around, the couple and their families and friends were so ready to celebrate. I flew from Los Angeles to Denver, anxious and excited to capture a day Maddie & Adam had been talking about, dreaming of, and planing + re-planning for over two years.
On a breezy, uncharacteristically sunny Denver Sunday, after literally meeting while still in utero, Adam & Maddie finally got married!!! Their wedding day ended up being, hands down, one of the most special days I’ve ever attended for so. many. reasons. Where do I BEGIN?! Let me break just this into pieces like a KitKat bar.
Their families: after getting to know Adam & Maddie’s parents, siblings, and grandparents, it’s clear as glass why they are the kindest and most loving people on planet earth. I was greeted by their parents as though I were an old friend—embraced immediately, both literally and figuratively, and made to feel SO appreciated, valued, and important as a part of the couple’s wedding day. Adam’s dad, Howard, literally invited me to Thanksgiving at their house half way through their reception when I made a joke about how I wanted them to adopt me. Needless to say, he doesn’t realize how seriously I take invites and I WILL be bringing the apple pie to NYC next fall.
The connection between the couple’s mothers, as lifelong best friends, was so beautiful to observe—from holding hands tightly after getting Maddie into her wedding gown, to walking their children down the aisle to marry one another, to heart-felt toasts filled with stories of their friendship, to stealing glances at one another as their kids shared a first dance as husband and wife—I just couldn’t get over how special the day was through their lens. It’s the kind of thing best friends joke about when they have kids around the same time: “Oh, here’s little baby Adam with his future wife Maddie!”… but it really happened!
Their friends: the cousins, siblings, and pals that comprised Adam & Maddie’s wedding parties were a gaggle of seriously incredible individuals. From supporting the couple by bringing immaculate energy and showing unrelenting enthusiasm at every turn, to lending a helping hand when I was arranging first looks, to assisting me with my (very extensive) family shot list, to just laughing + crying through the entire day alongside the newlyweds, this wedding party was stacked with the most exceptional, eclectic, love-filled sweethearts.
Their ceremonies: including all the traditional Jewish elements, and accented with countless personal touches, their wedding ceremonies were so intentional and beautiful. At their Ketubah signing (the Jewish marriage contract), family & close friends watched on as Maddie & Adam expressed their desire to enter into marriage & as two witnesses (their best friends) signed to affirm their union. Separately, each of their parents gave them a blessing and spent a few minutes imparting loving words onto both their child & their child’s spouse-to-be. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. As a final pre-wedding tradition, in a ceremony called a Bedeken, Adam placed Maddie’s veil over her head, and guests took their seats for the main event.
At their gorgeous outdoor ceremony, under a stunning floral Chuppah, Adam welled up with tears as he watched his bride walk down the fall-foliage lined staircase and then down the aisle, arm-in-arm with her parents. Their Rabbi then told heart-warming and hilarious stories about the couple, spanning their relationship’s 25+ year timeline from carriage to marriage (which was also their wedding hashtag, of course). The 45-minute ceremony, livestreamed online for their extended guest list of loved ones (and my parents, the virtual wedding crashers!!!) was filled with equal parts laughter-inducing tidbits and tear-jerking emotional components. One minute Maddie’s was brother singing a beautiful Hebrew song… like an angel… to the tune of “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, and the next minute, the Rabbi was effectively doing stand-up about Maddie & Adam thinking a fire alarm in Israel was a siren… signaling an impending rocket strike… and their imminent death. I haven’t laughed that hard since I was a little boy.
There were just so many memorable little puzzle pieces that came together to create the most perfect, meaningful celebration. And my face has truly never been so sore from smiling and laughing at *work*. Reflecting on my observations throughout their day, I return again and again to how deeply present, grateful, loving, and rooted the couple seemed throughout every moment of their wedding.
Often times, it seems wedding days come and go in the blink of an eye, and I find that it’s sometimes difficult for couples to really be + stay present amidst the excitement and chaos. But through each and every event of the day, when I looked over at Adam & Maddie—Adam often gazing at Maddie like she was a fresh hot pizza, and Maddie often glancing at Adam like he was heaven personified—the two seemed unwaveringly and consistently IN the moment. It was contagious, as I felt I’d never been so ~locked in~ at a wedding—simultaneously razor-focused on capturing every detail, but also care-free in letting things unfold as they may. This wedding job (I can’t believe this was a job) and meeting Adam & Maddie was a gift, reframing how I see my work in more than one way.
I will always look back on the Rosenstein’s wedding day 1) with an enormous smile and 2) as a reminder of my “why” whenever I question my career choice amidst busy or stressful seasons. I’ll laugh hysterically forever and ever each time I remember Adam’s elegant curtsy when he and Maddie re-entered their cocktail hour after their portraits, as their friends cheered and hollered. I will lose it each time I picture Maddie watching her life flash before her eyes on the Horah chair that had no arm rests. I will well up with emotion when I recount the ~29 times Adam had to wipe his tears between getting ready with his dad, seeing Maddie for the first time during their first look, their Ketubah ceremony, walking down the aisle looking out at his family and friends, seeing Maddie come down the aisle, hearing heartwarming toasts from his sister and parents, and myriad other moments I can’t recall.
This trip to Denver ended up being a bright beacon of light in a chaotic year—one where I took 10 more weddings than I typically do due to the post-pandemic wedding boom. I am endlessly grateful to call Maddie & Adam my friends, and will never forget the magic of their wedding day and the vivid beauty of their families, their friends, and their love for one another.
ALSO, thanks to these two, I am a People + PeopleTV featured photographer. With a love story so epic, it’s no surprise these two ended up published superstars. ;)
Mr. & Mrs. Rosenstein: thank you, thank you, thank you. For being two conduits of love and light in this weird-wild-wacky world. For letting me into your lives and blessing me with your friendship. For inviting me to be a part of your gorgeous wedding, loving me like family, and reminding me how lucky I am to be a silly little wedding photographer. For one of my favorite group chats of all time. For all the future memories and ice cream cones I know we’ll share. I love you limitlessly and you can never and will never get rid of me. I’ll see you at Thanksgiving next year at Howard’s house… and next week.
Congratulations, my friends. I wish you endless continued joy, love, health, and adventure as husband and wife.
1) Adam & Maddie’s mothers, pregnant with them. 2) Baby Maddie (left) & Adam (right). 3) Adam & Maddie on a bench in San Francisco in 2000. 4) The couple at prom. 5) The couple the day Adam proposed. :’)
