A Mother’s Wedding Gift

When she called, she hesitated.

“I’m not really even sure what it is that I’m asking. I just know I’m used to you assisting in guidance when choosing portraits and also... what is acrylic? We don’t use that for our portraits, do we?”

I assured her she was correct. We do not print on acrylic.

More importantly, I sensed a bit of unease about being left to go through more than one thousand images alone, not really knowing what to do next.

Their photographer, though adept at wedding photography, basically took photographs of the event, uploaded the images, sent a link, and was done with the job.

I see this a lot these days, and that’s okay. Often brides and grooms choose photographers based on how images from other weddings look, but forget to think about what comes after. Many modern wedding photographers simply offer coverage of the wedding day itself, without products or guidance beyond delivering the images.

I told her, after listening well, “I’ve got you. Do not worry.”

You see, I’ve known her for many years, having photographed her family and three children since this now newly married son was a darling blonde two year old.

Like many of you here, our relationship has blossomed well beyond client and photographer, and I could hear in her voice that something about the experience had left her feeling unsettled.

My first pass through the images was simply to look at the photography itself, which overall was very well done. The second time through, I noticed a few important candid moments missed by a second, some unflattering angles especially of the women on both sides of the family, and not many photographs of grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, or extended family.

Of course, with a sizable wedding and so much happening in a short amount of time, these things can happen.

I decided my job was to choose the photographs that would best tell the story of the day through the groom’s family’s eyes.

Over one thousand images is a lot even for me. I could only imagine how overwhelming it must have felt for his mother.

Once the selections were complete, I retouched the photographs and corrected color and exposure where needed. I then met with the bride and groom to help them choose the first wall portrait for their new home.

It was a delightful meeting. Being able to offer my love and congratulations, while welcoming this beautiful young bride into a family I have cared for many years, meant a great deal to me.

Afterward, I designed a wedding album for his mother and scheduled a meeting at her home.

With my trusty laptop, we sat together viewing the photographs, the album design, and the newlywed’s wall portrait selection projected large across the screen in her home.

As we sat together viewing the album spreads projected across the screen in her home, I watched her seeing the wedding day differently now. I could feel her finally exhale. There was a quiet glimmer in her eyes that told me she was finally pleased.

In that moment, I realized this was never simply about photographs. She wanted to feel connected to the experience again, to see the beauty and emotion of her son’s wedding day in a way that finally felt complete to her.