“And there are those that show up in your life so unexpectedly and with gentleness, patience, love and sincerity - change the course of your life”
This week shattered me.
When I say I love my job, I mean it with my whole heart.
I adore getting to go to dance parties every weekend and celebrate with new friends, old friends, forever friends and every vendor who loves their job as much as I do.
I love the adventure of traveling to new cities and new venues. I love the psychology of meeting new couples and seeing how their families fit together.
I love when they don’t realize I caught that stolen kiss from the flower girl that made them beam with laughter or that quick pep talk from grandpa that calmed their nerves just in time.
I love that I still get teary-eyed when a daddy’s girl takes her hero by the hand to walk down that sacred aisle or when the couple realizes their best day ever just ended and they just look at each other for a minute…absolutely overcome with joy from the outpouring of love their friends and family just bestowed upon them.
I love that part of my job.
And as much as I love it, it can still be easy to slip into “work mode” when I overbook myself and get 4 hours of sleep in between two back to back 14 hour weddings that are a 3 hour drive away from each other. With lack of sleep, it can be easy to feel annoyance at the little things that make a wedding day more challenging or go on auto-pilot when it comes to photoshop sessions that bleed into the morning hours.
But Lord have mercy, this was one of those weddings that will fuel my passion for this life for years to come.
If you’ve been around this past week you already know… but if you haven’t brace yourself.
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage”
Talia asked me to meet them at the hospital 10 days before the wedding to capture a quick ceremony. She didn’t think her dad would be strong enough to make it to their mountain top wedding and she wanted to honor him by coming to his room and letting him see first hand that she said her “I dos” and made it official.
Complete with officiant, rings, paperwork and flowers we filled his tiny hospital room with all the love we could give and the newest Mr. and Mrs. could rest, knowing dad didn’t miss a thing and the party would still go on the next weekend.
What we did not expect was her father, at peace with the love of his family, would go to heaven quietly that very night.
If ever in my life photos ever mattered. It was this moment.
I am absolutely overcome with the gravity of this “profession.”
Of course, every memory captured in time is meaningful. Every chance we get to recall a moment that made us feel the power of love is important.
But to know that you made the right choice to honor your father, even when it was hard, even when it meant you wouldn’t get the “fairytale” wedding - that is a core memory that will not only empower our beautiful couple, but will inspire countless others for the rest of time.
My words fail me now. There is only gratitude. For Talia and Robbie. For this profession. For this incredible community who rallied around them when they needed it most. For breath in my lungs to do it again tomorrow with a renewed sense of passion. For every single couple and family who has trusted me thus far. I owe you everything.
However, I know Talia wouldn’t want us to dwell in the sadness for too long. She’ll be grateful we showed up, and she’ll insist we move on to happier thoughts. So without further ado…
The “second” wedding:
It absolutely down-poured all morning. But not one well-wisher who apologized to Talia for the crummy weather could bring down her spirit. She just brushed them off with, “don’t apologize, it’s perfect.”
They chose not to do a second ceremony because they could never recreate something more perfect than the first…and they didn’t particularly want to deal with all the other “official” things like dances and cakes anyway, so they just spent the weekend enjoying their friends and family, each other, and the gift of their new life together.
Talia warned me she had a big surprise at the end of the night for Robbie (and everyone). So of course I set up my lights and got ready for the 2-3 fireworks that occasionally accompany a wedding. But none of us could have expected the Fairground style - Independence Day-sized spectacle she pulled off that night! Robbie was stunned, the guests went wild and everyone raved for days about the best ending to any wedding EVER.
You guys I cannot thank you enough for trusting me with this incredible moment in history. I adore you and cannot wait to crash your next house party!
The Vendors who made the day possible:
Photographer: Cynthia Viola
Coordinator: Elizabeth Hempfling
Venue and Catering: Beech Mountain Club
Hair: Jezabel with Mane Habit Salon
Florist: Aster Breeze Designs
Officiant: Gil Adams
Bands: If Birds Could Fly and Winston Ramble
Photobooth: Boone Photo Booth
Rentals: A Bushel and a Peck and Parties Too