The Evolution of Me

Ever since one of my good friends decided to tie the knot at a destination wedding in the Caribbean this summer, I have been super excited for June to come. Some may like the mountains, but I am a beach boy, through and through. I have also come to appreciate the finer points of this thing they call a wedding. [The photo above is a detail shot of portions of the Save the Date and RSVP card created by my buddy's fiancee, a talented graphic designer.]

I have to be honest, weddings haven't always excited me. In fact, before I got into photography, I pretty much didn't enjoy going to weddings unless a very close friend of mine was getting married... or unless there was really good food or exceptionally hot female friends of the bride and groom in attendance. Quite frankly, all weddings seemed kind of the same to me.

That all changed the day I shot my first wedding. For the first time in my life, I was truly able to get a bride's perspective on what an emotionally charged day and experience a wedding is. Even though I experienced my own wedding, like many brides and grooms, I think I was too preoccupied to truly relax and enjoy the day. Not to sound sexist, but the way men and women fundamentally approach and feel about a wedding is very different. You need to look no further than who is more into wedding planning. However, I also believe that most women have a much richer experience at their weddings relative to men precisely because they care so much about and have spent time on more of the details.

So now, when I am shooting a wedding, I have grown to love looking for, seeing, and capturing subtle emotions emerging throughout the day. It truly is such an amazing and intimate moment in two people's lives. It's an honor to be there behind the scenes really. Each wedding also makes me think of my wonderful wife and reminds me of what an undeniably important part of my life she is. Every 'I do' that falls upon my ears is not complete without a momentary mental image of my better half. In some ways, I am reliving my own wedding while photographing each wedding.

While wedding budgets vary widely, each event has a unique story to tell. I love finding and helping to share that story. I never would have guessed I would feel this way a year ago. I also have bought more pairs of shoes at Aldo in the past month than my wife, but that is its own story that I am not so keen on sharing...