Sometimes I just get lucky.

You see, I get a lot of phone calls.  A lot of inquiries.  Many of them feel and sound the same:  What are your prices?  Are you there all day?  Is the engagement included?  Even worse, sometimes I get an email and in the “How can we serve you?” box all it says is…

“Prices.”

If you’re a wedding photographer you know how sickening this feels.

But sometimes, I get lucky.  Sometimes, I pick up that phone, that inquiry, and it’s completely off tune from the other.  When Jenny and James called me, I knew they were my type of people.  They were talkative, funny, inquisitive.  They commented on what they described as the class and elegance of our images.  They intrigued me.

Our friendship took a huge step forward with I flew to Washington D.C. for their engagement experience and I was further intrigued by this beautifully perfect, yet opposite couple.

Their wedding came and went.  And what they’re left with are the memories, the love, and the images.

And you know what? Sometimes I just get lucky.

Because you see, I get a lot of “thank yous” after the wedding.  A lot of exclamation points and smiley faces.  Many of them feel and sound the same:  “Omg, these images are amazing! Thank you!”  “We LOVE our pictures, thank you!!!!!!!”

But sometimes, I get lucky.  Sometimes, I open that inbox, and see a subject titled, “wedding love,” and it’s completely off tune from the others….

wedding love

I just watched the reveal slideshow for something like the 9th time in the past 24 hours, and now I’m sitting here listening to [music] loving a lot of different things. In no particular order…

I love that there are pictures of my parents’ dogs.
I love the way that the groomsmen and bridesmaid photos are so totally spot on. Sean is by turns serious and chuckling. Steven is a burst of mischievous giggles. Kyle is big and huggable. My dad is looking out the window into something only he can see. That’s how I know those people. That’s how I love those people.
And the bridesmaids — they’re gorgeous, and Jenny can’t get into her dress, and my mom is standing there holding her own hands, waiting, like she does…
I love the genuine joy on [Jenny’s dad’s] face when he saw [her] for the first time.
I love how nervous I get the closer the pictures get to Jenny walking down the aisle.
I love Jenny’s grandparents dancing in their chairs.
I love the scrum for the garter, especially because after Casey picked himself up off the floor he announced that this was his fifth successful capture.
I love the thought of a caption contest for five of our most awkward photos. I just don’t know how anyone would narrow it down that far.
I love that two drunken uncles photobombed us at the end.

I love the way that the rest of the world melts away for a few pictures, and it’s just Jenny and I, together somewhere almost too pretty to be real.

Maybe most of all I love how each and every one of these pictures looks exactly the way I remember that night happening. The way you captured our engagement and our wedding, the beauty and the joy therein, it makes it real, valuable, and something to treasure. It’s also comforting to me because it reminds me that all that fun actually happened.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
— James

Jenny and James, thank you, from the bottom of MY heart for being you.  For being your honest, quirky, romantic, artistic, humorous selves.

Thank you for being off tune.

Blessed,
René

A special thank you to Michael Lyon for rocking this wedding with me.  He spent the morning with the guys and absolutely nailed it!