Rita and Ray…a unique Sunday afternoon wedding

Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph a wedding somewhat different than my common wedding experiences. Every wedding we shoot is definitely unique, without a doubt, but there are certain ones that stand out because they are so unlike most others. Yesterday was certainly one of those days.

I received a call from Rita a few months ago. She was refereed to me by a friend and fellow photographer Kyle Weber (www.kyleweber.com). Kyle does not shoot weddings, so he gave her my name. She told me that both she and her fiancee had been married before and looking for something simple in their wedding photography…definitely not one of my full packages. They would only want me for 3 hours or so. Even though I don’t do a whole lot of lower cost weddings anymore, I love to be able to fit them in when I can. Not everyone wants to/needs to/can afford to spend in upwards of $2,000 or more for their wedding photography, and I can totally understand that. When I can, I like to work with people to provide them with a service in line with what they can afford. Since their wedding was on a Sunday and only a few months away, I knew that I would not likely be missing out on a full wedding package from someone else, so I was more than willing to put something together that would work for them.

When I met with Rita, I realized this was definitely going to be different. I do not know her age (always polite not to ask!), but she was much less young than my usual brides. 😉 She was so alive and excited, though…she was just as excited as a 21 year old girl with the experience and knowledge of a much older person. After our meeting, I was so expectant for the day to come. We set up a simple hourly rate package, and then the date went into the books.

I arrived at Discovery Church in downtown Collinsville (http://www.discoveryfamilychurch.com/) yesterday about 20 minutes before their normal Sunday morning service let out. It was going to be a simple gig, so we decided to give my lovely wife the day off and for me to fly solo for a change. The wedding was to immediately follow the end of the service, and as I walked in Rita saw from her dressing room and talked with me for a second. She was so bubbly and so nervous…it was such a delight to see. I could tell she was about to burst.

The regular service ended, and I finally met Ray. He too was brimming with excitement. When I took his photo he was all “lit up.” (pun intended…sorry, bad photographer humor there)

The ceremony started with Ray and his two grown and married sons standing with him in the front. Rita then came down the aisle escorted by her own daughter; she was simply glowing. It was a fairly straightforward ceremony, but it was just wonderful. They both were tearing up constantly throughout the whole thing…there was so much love in their eyes that it was simply staggering. There were a few songs, a rather long kiss, a recessional, showers of rice, some photos at a nearby park, a cake cutting, some dancing to Patsy Cline, champagne toasts, and a seemingly unlimited supply chicken wings. It was very casual and relaxed, but there was something so classic and intimate about it.

It just made me think about how I view growing old. I am in my thirties now, and for so many years growing up, I viewed getting older as such a downward decline in one’s life, as I am sure many younger people do (even if they do not consciously voice the opinion). I am married and so very in love with my wife, and even though I was married later than most are, I still carry a bit of that view which thinks of my “youngish love” being somehow stronger and more “romantic” than those later in life. Even though I knew that to be untrue in my mind, the thought still lingered around in there. Yesterday, that went completely out the window. I saw two people in the golden years of their lives who had fallen deeply and fervently in love. They both have their stories of how they came to this place, I know, and even though there were certainly difficult times in those stories, the result was something marvelous to behold.

Even though I have many years before I reach the point in life at which Rita and Roy are now, it made me much more ok with being there. I will occasionally mention to my wife how great it will be to grow old with her, but now, I have an even greater understanding of what that means. When I am older, I may have lost some physical strength and speed and ability to remember where I left my keys (not that I can ever remember now, for that matter), but there are so many other things that will grow stronger through the years.

Congrats to Rita and Ray, and thank you so much for letting me be a part of your day. It was an honor!