Breaux Vineyards Wedding: Megan and Michael

“We’re freezing!” they said, but I nudged them outside. To stay warm, Megan and Michael jogged through the vineyard rows, and I got my favorite images of the night. Thank you, both, for your shivering smiles.

I’m grateful to Megan and Michael, as well, for asking me to photograph their wedding, especially since I also photographed Megan’s brother, Justin’s wedding. Now, Justin and Whitney have a child, and Megan and Justin have both lost someone close to them. I’m reminded of the responsibility to portray each event with commitment. Years from now, a son or granddaughter or cousin may be looking through old photographs and they will see some of what people felt, but really, the portion that I could see. Still, this isn’t strictly true. Sometimes I see more than I know, and something is given to me with a camera that I won’t understand, until later. Or maybe someone else will understand what a glance meant, or a tear, or a sigh.

When I photograph families more than once, it gives me a glimpse into how they use the photographs, what they mean to them.

Every wedding has its own character, and each couple their own chemistry. I don’t believe, as Tolstoy wrote, that all happy families are alike. Why else, then, do people cry at weddings? Each joy is unique, as was photographing Megan and Michael’s wedding.