Walk
through a check-out counter at the grocery store and you will see any number of
magazine covers sporting a beautiful bride in an elegant dress. I really didn’t
even know these bridal magazines existed until my own wedding in 2004. Suddenly
my wife was carrying around a small stack of them and asking my opinion about
dresses, flowers, and cakes. I never thought I would be worried about the color
of my tie matching the bride’s maid’s dresses, but apparently this is very
important. While there are many decisions to be made during the wedding
planning, choosing a photographer tends to be at the top of the list. My wife
and I still talk about the whirlwind that was our wedding day and how grateful
we are to have those memories captured and framed. Even today there is a
beautiful black and white image of my wife and I caught in a brief embrace
hanging in our room. If we didn’t stop to think about it we could simply assume
that these types of images have been the standard wedding photography from
generation to generation, however, history paints (or shootsJ ) a different picture.
Wedding
images began to be made around the early to mid 1800’s. At this point in
history paper photographs didn’t exist. Images were captured on glass plates or
copper and tin sheets. These images, like the one below, are called
daguerreotype portraits.
Jenny Lind and Otto Goldschmidt
Click here for picture details.
Believe
it or not the image above is an actual wedding portrait. A shot like this today
would have me forking out a refund faster than you can say “doily neck thingy”
but this was the standard of the day. Photography gear wasn’t nearly as
portable as what we have today and as such, most portraits were taken in the
studio rather than on-location on the day of the wedding. They tend to be shot
a week or two before the wedding day, show the bride and groom in their nicest
clothing offering a fairly somber expression, and typically only one image was
made. As time went on and gear became more portable wedding images became more
commonplace, the number increased and the style began to change. Around the Second
World War we begin to see a larger number of formal wedding shots being
captured and placed into wedding albums, and in the 1970’s the shift to “documentary”
wedding photography begins.
Today
most photographers will spend an average of 8 to 10 hours capturing a single
wedding. From the mani/pedi to the last dance at the reception and everything in
between, couples want to make sure every detail of the day is captured. I
recently had the opportunity to capture MaryAnne and Eric Vivier’s wedding and
it was such an honor to join them for such an amazing event.
If
you can conjure in your mind the stereotypical “bridezilla” MaryAnne is the
farthest thing from it. She and Eric were completely laid back and a joy to
work with. I had a feeling this would be the case when MaryAnne began our
initial consult telling me about their Futurama wedding cake topper. On the wedding
day each guest was given a vial of wildflower seeds as a gift and the imagery
of these flowers seemed a great analogy of the adventure that awaits Eric and
MaryAnne. A seed is planted and as it is fed and nurtured an amazing life
springs forth. As it matures and flowers it not only becomes stronger but it
lends beauty and life to those around it.
Congratulations
Eric and MaryAnne! Your optimistic and compassionate character is so
encouraging and I was blessed by my time with you and your family. Blessings to
you on your new adventure and thanks for letting us capture a part of your
story.
Images below are some of my favorites from my second shooter Linsey Field.
