For many couples getting married..the pictures are almost as important as the wedding itself.

“Yeah, our pictures probably took a few hours....2 and a half...3 hours,” said Jacob and Kristen Holmes.

The couple says their wedding at Riverside Church in Williamsburg was about as perfect as it could be. Everything went off without a hitch. But several weeks later, they got a phone call telling them that their professional photos were probably in the hands of a thief.

“And I cried, the tears came. And it was devastating,” said Kristen.

After the wedding the photographer downloaded all the pictures to a laptop. That computer went with him to Pikeville, where a church was broken into. The laptop was stolen. Not only were all the pictures taken but the photographer's’ identity was stolen as well.

“The laptop had his on-line banking of course on it. Some of his personal information was stolen. (The thief) spent quite a bit of his money,” said Jacob Holmes.

The photographer since put a stop to that spending spree. Laptops can be replaced. But pictures of an otherwise perfect day cannot.

“I just cannot believe something like this could happen. That someone could steal something so valuable. This is not jut a laptop. This is memories,” said Kristen.

A reward is offered if the pictures are returned.

“If the pictures are returned intact with the computer in working condition. A $1,000 reward, no questions asked,” said Jacob.

The Holmes say Pikeville police are investigating the church burglary.