There are things we want. And then there are things we must do to get those things. If we are careful, we always remember why we do the things we do, and the things we do never take away from the things we want. Which is to say this paragraph is me getting back at my 6th grade teacher who wouldn't allow us to use the word "thing". "Thing is not a scientific word" she'd say. Ha! Thing thing thing. THING!! Okay, that's out of my system.
Guy meets girl. Guy likes girl. Girl likes guy. They think this could be something special. Something important. He asks, she says yes. Woohoo.
Now marriage is a big deal, it's special. It's important. It deserves a celebration. A wedding!
Music, venue, flowers, tables, chairs, food, centerpieces, invitations, photos, bentchers, video, dress, veil, suit, shoes, invitation lists, expectations. Gowns, make-up, color schemes, decor, lighting, start time, end time. Dinner time, chuppah time, entrance time.
Sometimes it happens that the marriage gets lost in the wedding. Not this wedding.
What struck me so much about this wedding was that from the first time they spoke to me, the marriage was always more important than the wedding. The groom was busy praying, learning, and doing things that one might do on the most important day of his life. The bride had her stack of books she was learning and psalms she was saying. She even had someone walking around with a charity box every couple of minutes so she could do as many good deeds as possible on this special day.
There was no getting lost in the details of the wedding. They are getting married!! Who cares if something isn't exactly as planned!
I'm inspired. And honored.
From the first phone call Shloime told me that he wanted his wedding to be about the marriage. He wanted someone to honestly document the holiness and feeling of the day. No fancy camera trickery, no fake moments. Just an honest and thoughtful documentation. He had seen my work, liked what and how I wrote and thought that I would "get it". I seriously wanted to hop on a plane and give him a hug. I didn't, mostly because my wife would have killed me.
I was really excited to photograph this wedding and I'm really excited to share the images.
Enjoy, and keep it real!
