Wedding Stories: Black Stilettos and Rolled Up Jeans.
Working in the wedding industry, you see a lot of loved up couples tie the knot. They’ve picked out venues, flowers, table centrepieces, caterers, napkins, drink packages, cake toppers, photographers, videographers, dresses, suits and a whole menagerie of things to create the ‘day of their lives’. 40 weddings down though, and the parts of the wedding that I always remember are the stories. Disastrous first dates, individual quirks, romantic proposals, colossal mistakes, laugh-til-you-cry memories – all the little things that make a couple a couple.
Katie wondered when on earth Kyle would ask her out, Joe didn’t understand who in their right mind would wear stilettos with rolled up jeans, Marvin was too shy to talk to Sarah so he threw glow sticks at her from across the room, and there was absolutely no doubt in Robert’s mind – when Ashleigh told him she was moving to Queensland for vet school, he was going right along with her.
As a photographer at a wedding, you become part of somebody’s family for a day – you’re there before the bride is in her gown and you don’t leave until everyone’s merry and dancing – when bouquets have been forgotten on tables, food has been devoured, when everyone is happy and full and just a little bit tipsy.
You go into their house, share in their laughter and their tears, and do your very best to capture the unfolding of a day filled with more emotion, hope and nostalgia than any other.
It’s an honour & a privilege, and 2+ years since I quit my full-time desk job to pursue this path, I must also say that it is an absolute pleasure. So, as I recall the stories of the wonderful couples who chose to trust me with capturing their wedding, I thought I’d take this chance to thank each and every one of them. I’ve had the most wonderful clients that a photographer could ask for, and without you all, none of this would be possible.
And to everyone out there considering pursuing their passion – just do it! Grasp opportunities with both hands, say yes and figure out the how later, take advantage of every piece of work that comes your way, and marvel at how choosing to jump from a 40-hour work week to 7 24-hour workdays in a row can be the greatest life choice you have ever made.
If you’re interested in having me photograph your wedding – analogue or digital – please do get in contact! I’d love to capture your day for you to look back on for years to come!
“When you do something for the first time, you make many mistakes and go down many dead ends, but the whole time you’re learning. You start to care about things you’ve never thought about before and your world gets wider.”
– Under the Tree. A Record: Nine Years in the Making. – Tok Kise (translated by Simon Evans)
[Updated 28 July 2017]
