Essential Stuff

This is Breelyn and Ryan.  And to me, anyway, this isn’t just them in the picture, but this is really them, who they are:  together, racing through the world, laughing, connected, enjoying the ride, on their way to wherever they are going, loving it and loving each other.

I always tell people that what makes my job fun is that I’m not photographing weddings:  I’m capturing the personalities of two unique people on their wedding day.  And I’ve seen few weddings as personality-driven as Breelyn and Ryan’s.  Creative.  Expressive.  Quirky.  Fun.  Joyful.  Free-spirited.

This was, for instance, the first wedding I’ve photographed where there was, instead of a unity candle or sand ceremony, a “painting ceremony” where they painted a heart together on a canvas.  Or where the bride said the theme of the wedding was “Maps and Birds.”  Or where grandparents were posthumously honored in portraits with hand-held cardboard face images.  Or where a leisurely portrait session led into fountains and up fire-escapes and had to include, by explicit demand of the bride and groom, images of their the bridal party hiking up their pants/dresses, shot from the waist down.  Or where an armless, legless mannequin named “Doris”, dressed something like a flapper,  sat forlornly at a corner table.  Or where simply clinking bells wouldn’t elicit kisses at the reception:  couples were also required to demonstrate exactly what kind of kiss they wanted Breelyn and Ryan to execute.

None of it was forced or unnatural.  It simply expressed Breelyn and Ryan.  But in many ways, their day wasn’t about them:  instead, it was a generous celebration of their families and their friends, and Breelyn and Ryan’s warmth and good-humor was utterly contagious.  I was privileged to share their day with them (click here for an online gallery).