i was photographing a wedding last night & one of the guests said to me, “you must get tired of weddings, being at so many”. My answer was a very honest, “no, not ever”. Two reasons came to mind…
1. i believe in marriage. I love having the honour of witnessing & capturing a couple promising their lives to one another. Wedding days are easy days for those vows to be spoken & shared – a couple is deeply in love, either rather newly or, after years of being together, ready to leap into another realm of commitment. They’re surrounded by folks they love & who love them. Held in a setting that’s meaningful to them. It’s all a bit of wonder. But long after the magic of the day is over, when the sweetness of newness has passed, when the challenging times come, (& they will, for all of us), we have that day to remember, those promises to hold onto, like an anchor in a storm. They hold us to steady ground as our world rages around us & doubts arise. It is a powerful thing to be asked to bare witness to & photograph time & again.
2. every wedding is so unique. I have this incredible opportunity to step out of myself, my own little world &, with camera in hand, get swept up in the wonder of a couple’s wedding day. The richness of their relationship, the anticipation, the commitment, the joy shared with family & friends, the celebration.
no, i never tire of weddings. In fact the opposite is true. They inspire me. They help enliven my own marriage. They remind me of the wonder of those early days with my own sweet man. And stepping out of myself is always a gift. Life can become small wrapped up in personal likes & dislikes, ways of being & seeing. I’m grateful for having those doors blasted open time & again as i let go & open my heart along with my lenses to others’ lives, way of seeing, loving, believing. My life is all the richer because of it.
& suzanna & andrew’s day was all of that. An intimate wedding with their closest family & friends. Gathered at the glorious black rock resort in ucluelet. On the edge of the west coast. Their day was such an honest reflection of who they are, as a couple. And i got to be there, swept along in the magic of it all. A gift i’m truly grateful for. Deepest thanks to you, suzanna & andrew, for all that you are, for all you shared so openly with me…
