A Bond That Never Breaks
When Ben Nunery and his wife, Ali, got married in 2009, they decided to take their wedding photos in the house they had just bought. Sadly, Ali passed away from cancer in 2011 at age 31, leaving behind her husband and little girl, Olivia.
As Ben and Olivia prepared to move to a new house this month, Ben decided to recreate his wedding photos with his daughter to honor his late wife and to say goodbye to that first house together. Click through to see all the photos.
(Now would be a good time to break out the tissues.)
The Doorway
Melanie Tracy Pace, Ali's sister and owner of Loft3 Photography in Cincinnati, took Ben and Ali's wedding photos—and the photos of Ben and Olivia.
Here, Ben and Olivia recreate the doorway photo of Ali and Ben from 2009.
Mother-Daughter Bonding
Recalling the experience on his blog, Ben wrote:
"I did it for me. I did it for us. I did it so I would have something to show for the love and beauty that occupied that house for a short time in our lives."
The Staircase
In the left image, Ben waits for his bride to descend the staircase. In the right, four years later, Olivia meets her dad on the stairs.
"I wanted to be able to show Olivia the place where her mother and I started our lives together and dreamed of raising children," he wrote.
Cuddle Time
"The memories of Ali don't live in that house," Ben wrote of his late wife on his blog. "They live with us, in our hearts."
The Look
Love is in the air in both images, as Olivia and her father recreate the 2009 photo of Ben and her mom.
The Dance
Ben dances with daughter Olivia, recalling the beautiful black-and-white image of husband and wife, left.
With a Little Help From Dad
Little Olivia is on her toes—well, her father's toes—in this pic, taken by her aunt Melanie.
Love Story
"Many people have asked me how I felt while doing that photo session. What I want them to know is that this isn't a story about grief and loss and hurt," Ben wrote. "This is a story about love."
