I have this fear that one day I will forget a wedding or a couple I’ve photographed. I think a few of my clients fear this too. This can’t be a good thing. Now and then I’ll get an email from a former bride or groom in which he or she reminds me of their full name, the date of the wedding, and their spouse’s name. My first thought is to be complemented, like, “this person really thinks I have that many weddings that I would forget them?”. To be fair I shoot a little over 30 weddings on average a year and I’m meeting new couple all the time so I can imagine how a person might think I would forget, but I say here and now, NEVER have I forgotten a couple or their wedding! Not yet anyway, and I doubt that’s likely to change. All I need is a first name and an email address and I know who a bride is. Like when an old friend calls, you see their number or name pop up on your phone, and you know.
This job is a way of life; It’s what I do, it’s become part of me. Every time “I go to work” I am there. Like there there, mind + body there. Even the guests make their mark on me. Think of it this way, I spend hours with a couple on their big day. In some cases I spend more time with a couple than anyone else at the wedding and when it’s all over, I spend countless hours editing images building a story for the couple to share and look back on forever. I know their faces, their family’s faces, their friends faces. Sometimes I recognize wedding guests from weddings months past on the streets of NYC, but just walk by because I know that I know their face even though they aren’t likely to remember mine. After all, I’ve stared at it on a screen for hours and hours after the festivities have come to an end. So trust me when I say, I will always remember. That is of course, barring any unforeseen head injuries (crossing fingers). In all seriousness, each wedding offers up it’s own set of events or people or places or all of those combined which can’t help but add up to an unforgettable day.
With that, I present Andie + Pete’s story. And to make a point, one such reason I will never forget their wedding— it marks first time I’ve been pulled onto the dance floor, forced into a chair, and been subjected to a lap dance. Ever.
