Why I love weddings

I have a bit of a love affair with weddings.

I am, and always have been, a hopeless romantic. I have one of the largest collection of romance DVDs known to man, and my friends mock me whenever I suggest watching a movie – I think some of them try to run and hide. Movies like Notting Hill, The Sound of Music, Pride and Prejudice, Pretty Woman and Ever After just make me weak at the knees. Sometimes, quite literally.

Despite my romanticism, I also have a lot of realism when it comes to my view of love and relationships. Over the years I’ve been able to witness both good, and not-so-good, stories about love and relationships and all the things that go with it. At the end of the day, I think there’s something so powerful about seeing two people with a deep connection and who want to stand it front of the special people in their lives, and commit themselves to each other.

I’ve loved photography for a long time, but I need and crave people to make it meaningful for me. Being there on a bride and groom’s wedding day becomes the ultimate privilege for me. I adore being able to witness and experience a connection and a marriage through the lens of my camera. There are few things more special than being asked to photograph a wedding and to be entrusted with something so beautiful.

I might sound as though I’m gushing, and I’m starting to run out of appropriate adjectives to articulate what I’m thinking, but everything I say is the complete truth. Every time I look through a bride and groom’s photos, my heart skips a beat as I remember how amazing the day was. I get a big, warm fuzzy feeling – and knowing that I’m able to create memories for people is something that I’ll never be able to take for granted.

I don’t feel I could ever strive for fame and fortune as a photographer, because it just isn’t me. What is me, is knowing I can go on feeling this amazing emotional connection to the weddings I shoot and the couples I befriend. Every single one is an honour, and I’m constantly thankful that I have been blessed with this dream role.

Thanks to everybody who I’ve had the joy of photographing, and all those who I will be working with in the future. You all make this worthwhile.