Through a Girls Eyes: The Untold Stories of a Wedding Day
Why I chase the details & story lines beyond the bride and groom
“You just have to look closely”
When we think about wedding photography, we often picture the most obvious and important moments: the bride walking down the aisle, the cake cutting, the first dance, and of course the first kiss. While I absolutely love to capture those tremendously important milestones, they’re only part of the story.
Weddings are filled with hundreds of secret moments. While the big ones are happening, there are little narratives unfolding all around the edges. Being the romance reader that I am, I tend to look between the lines and hunt for the unspoken dialogue that deserves to shine. But of course, whats a story without a little history?
I remember the first wedding I went to. I was 8 and I felt like I had been invited into a fairytale. My memories aren’t just of the grand moments, but of the magic in between. I remember staring up at the bride like she was a princess, sneaking extra pieces of cake, twirling my sister around until her shoe went flying off (yes very cinderella), and falling asleep on the way home with the muffled sound of Reggaeton still in my ears (I’m cuban, so no waltz at our weddings). None of that was photographed, but it’s the story I carry with me.
I think it’s similar for everyone at weddings, you just have to look closely. Somewhere in the crowd, theres a grandfather tucking his handkerchief into his suit pocket, just in case. The groom’s mother who squeezes his hand before he walks down the aisle. Oh and theres a group of old friends who are laughing so hard on the dance floor that they can hardly stand. These are the stories that usually live only in memory. They are the moments that don’t always make it to the photo album, but that define the day just as much as the vows.
That’s why, as a wedding photographer, I chase more than just the big picture. I look for the hidden narratives, the moments unfolding quietly, the ones that would otherwise slip away unnoticed. Because long after the wedding is over, these are the stories that families will tell: “Remember when…”
At a wedding I shot in July, I was reminded of the magic that I felt as a child as I documented a group of girls sassing, playing, laughing, and dancing their way through the day. They reminded me that theres real magic in the sidelines and in the eyes of guests who were hand chosen to experience two people cementing their love. And now, through my lens, I forever vow to capture as many of those untold stories as I can. In the end, it’s the quiet, fleeting stories that make a wedding unforgettable.
