Getting hitched. Tying the knot. Taking the plunge. So many ways to describe something I used to think was a simple concept - marriage, a legal union announcing one's commitment of love to another person. Last September, I proposed to my now fiancée, and the meaning of marriage has grown more personal ever since.

Amid the long hours of sweating about how I would pop the question and listening to the constant buzz about marriage in the media, I was inspired to capture images of couples who have entered into matrimony. In doing so, I have discovered how different and unique the journey is for each couple. My intent is to show this variety through my photographs and to let each couple share their own thoughts about marriage through handwritten messages.

In some cases, the messages were hastily scribbled only a few short hours after saying "I do." In other cases, couples had the luxury of a few days to respond. One couple had just exchanged their vows when the picture was taken, and others have celebrated decades together. Despite these differences, one constant exists among them all: a belief in the process of marriage itself. They proclaim to the world that they will make the journey together . . . for better or for worse.