The holidays are coming up and that means the return of treasured traditions. While some are basic and almost ordinary, some traditions are so unique that they elevate the season. Traditions are what we really look forward to as each calendar page is flipped. 

I was given the opportunity to see another family’s summer tradition as I captured Maddie and Mason at their family’s lake house on Lake Gage, Indiana. Maddie and Mason got engaged at Maddie’s family’s lake house. Maddie’s family has been spending summer weekends at the lake house for years. I can only imagine all the little traditions these weekends have gathered. Even though Mason didn’t officially join the family until late this year, he still holds the lake house in his heart too. Besides asking Maddie to share a life together, the location of the proposal was the easiest decision. Traditions of family time, fish fries, board game nights, days out on the boat, and more now include the beginning steps of life together. This treasured spot will also become the reunification of each family member as they grow and create lives of their own. 

Instead of a lake house, my family has our trusted traditions we look forward to. Lasagna on Christmas Eve. Road trips. Showing cows on the Fourth of July. These little things that happen year after year would be really missed if they stopped. Falling in love is not just adding another person to your life; it’s sharing and enjoying each other’s traditions.