A photographer has captured the incredible moment butterflies that were released during a wedding in memory of the groom's sister clung to members of the family instead of flying away.
Max Van Gorder tragically lost his sister Vanessa, who would have been 29, in a car accident over the Christmas holidays a few years back.
When he decided to marry his now wife, Lydia, in Pennsylvania, they decided to release orange monarch butterflies to pay tribute to her.
Instead of flying away into the distance, the butterflies clung to the family, with one perching on Vanessa's dad's finger through the whole of the ceremony. One even made its way into the wedding barn and a few stuck to Lydia's dress as she walked down the aisle.
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The touching day was caught on camera by talented photographer Jessica Manns, who shared some of the images in a post on her Facebook page.
"That's a real butterfly on his finger," she wrote, referring to the image of Vanessa and Max's dad, Scott.
"This is probably the most emotional thing I've witnessed at a wedding. The groom's sister tragically passed away in a car accident a few years prior during the Christmas holiday.
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"To honour her, the groom's parents released butterflies during the ceremony in her honour. There's a common belief that our loved ones visit us sometimes as butterflies. As they released the butterflies, they wouldn't fly off.
"They clung all over them and even stayed on their bodies the entire ceremony and well afterwards into cocktail hour. This same butterfly on his finger stayed there the entire ceremony and then flew onto the bride's bouquet after the recessional.
"Lydia, the bride, even walked down the aisle with two on her dress. Then a few hours later during the speeches, another butterfly somehow got inside the barn and landed on Lydia's neck and remained there for all the speeches. Unreal."
On the images Jessica has posted, a butterfly even flutters in front of Lydia's face - and you can see the pure happiness on her face.
Lydia replied to the original post, thanking Jessica: "Thank you again for capturing such a special and loving moment during our wedding.
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"Vanessa was with us there and throughout the night. I relive my wedding day every time I look at your photos. You captured every moment so beautifully."
What an amazing touch to their wedding.
Featured Image Credit: Jessica Manns Photography