Every wedding is special in its own way and then every once and a while as a person not just a photographer you encounter a wedding that just goes beyond special. The kind of wedding that words don’t accurately describe – that would be Julia and James’ wedding. I’ll do my best to find words though because weddings created with this kind of love deserve to be shared but get ready for a long one!
On Saturday morning as Precious and I headed into the bridal suite we were both kind of out of it, me for being in a weird mood and Precious as she’s still recovering from a back injury. From the moment we opened the door the room felt alive, everyone inside was so excited, especially Julia. When I asked her how she was doing, she literally hopped with the widest smile I’ve ever seen and so much light and love in her eyes already and stated “I’m just so excited”. And she was and oh man was it infectious! By the time we were on our way to the Chateau I was happier and definitely ready for the day.
When we got to the Chateau and started to get our bearings and ready for the ceremony I took a few moments with the Groom and his parents. Everyone on this end was even more happy and excited! The groom in a tux with a bowtie was beside himself with excitement and couldn’t wait to see his bride.
If I thought the energy was palpable before with each of them separate I am not sure I was prepared for how much more that would be amplified as Julia took the steps down the aisle on her father’s arm. Jamie’s breath caught the first time he saw her, Julia’s smile got even bigger and everyone had tears in their eyes. Watching the two of them exchange vows was so incredibly moving; choosing to write their own vows was a good choice as they were both very eloquent. I may be misquoting but I believe my favourite part of Jamie’s side was “I love being still with you”. Of all the things he listed that he loved doing with Julia that was the one that struck me the most. Love really isn’t just shared intimacies and romantic gestures – at it’s purest it’s just being happy in each others arms.
Rings and kisses were exchanged, rose petals were thrown and we had moved onto the photo portion of the day. With the tight timeline at Chateau it can get a little frantic but these two had charged me with making sure to focus on the Bride and Groom portraits. Precious and I work pretty good together so we got through Bridal Party stuff pretty quick and then moved on to just Julia and Jamie. Sometimes capturing chemistry can be hard, not everyone is at ease in front of the camera. It’s my job to make sure that I make people feel at ease and allow that part of themselves to come out. With Julia and Jamie that wasn’t necessary at all. The energy I had felt all day was multiplied and so visible in front of the camera. It was effortless to capture their love and really such a privilege. We left the family photos until the very end and they moved along pretty quick, lots of hugs, tight squeezes and of course love. The last side to be photographed was the Groom’s and when we got down to just the Groom and his Mom Jamie put his arms around his Mom and just looked at her, his Mom had no idea but the look on his face was just a raw and pure form of love and appreciation. As a Mom of two boys, I literally choked up on the spot. I can only hope that one day I deserve a look like that from my boys.
During the reception we were treated to two performances by fellow bandmates and speeches by Maid of Honour, Best Man, Parents on both sides and finally the Groom. We sat at our table for two and bawled in turn, each for different reasons but both moved nonetheless. Love at a wedding is always present but it wasn’t just present it abounded. The speeches were the perfect indicator of this – parents talking about love and giving advice. The best piece of advice given that hit home for both of us was this; the key to a successful marriage is in making sure to work on yourself and how you can be better instead of looking at or complaining to your partner about how they could be better. When we set an example of love and understanding it is easy for the person walking beside you to emulate that. It’s so easy to get frustrated and lose patience and find fault but if we focus instead on ourselves it will be better for both of you in the end. Jamie described Julia like a secret garden (yes there was a few dirty chuckles from the crowd) that was full of wonders and marvels that he couldn’t wait to discover. Such a fresh and wonderfully present love – in fact I don’t think I’ve ever seen two people as present with each other as these two and it shows so much in the photos. Think I’ve done enough talking for now … onto the images!
Thanks again to Julia and Jamie for honouring me with the privilege of being present at your wedding – thank you so much to both your parents as well. Oh and PS I have watched Pride and Prejuidice (Kiera Knightley one) about 100 times and could live inside the lighting in that movie and have wished to shoot a wedding with lighting like that. Your wedding and the light from the day reminded me so much of that movie that it has ticked that off my bucket list.
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