Color Photography by "The Chad"
B&W by "The Steve"
There are some people you meet in your lifetime that make such a strong impression upon you that you 
know for sure you will never forget them. Brook is very much one of these people. She absolutely extrudes charisma and you know your life is richer simply from knowing her. When she came to visit me with her mother the conversation turned into comparing her Brook with my Brooke. Though mine is about 20 years younger it was like we were talking about the same person. Her mom laughed in agreement when I said “You don’t really raise Brooke, you simply manage her progress.” Young, strong, driven and determined, our gals are take charge kinda people that everybody just loves.
Brook’s life is like a soap opera. First she meets the perfect guy, then nearly dies from a life threatening illness. Then conquers the illness and forges on. They plan the perfect wedding, the most ideal date, the first Saturday in June which just happens to be June 1st. When I first met Brook in July of 2001 Brook was planning her wedding on a brief Southern California vacation. Though Brook and her fiancé Troy were native Californians she was working stage production on Broadway and Troy was a professional Broadway dancer. A bright young couple with their future in front of them I was looking forward to their wedding.
Well, a few months later there were these 19 guys who got on planes with box cutters and a simple but well thought out plan to take down the World Trade Center and kill a few thousand people while they were at it. A dark cloud emerged around New York and choked the life out of Broadway. Nobody felt like going to plays and it wasn’t long before Brook and Troy found themselves out of work and living on the money that they were saving for their wedding. Soon it was apparent that their wasn’t enough money for them to get married. She called me and gave me the bad news. She called her mother and told her the same thing, it made her mom so upset she became sick moments later.
About a month after the phone call I had another bride inquire about June 1st. Lani was very nice and I really hit it off with her. It was something that was meant to be and within a week or two the contract was on it’s way back to me. Then the phone rang “Hello, Steve, It’s Brook, guess what, a family member gave us a very generous gift, and we are getting married on June 1st after all!” So it was dilemma time.
Brook was special to me but so was Lani. I didn’t want to lie to her or lead her on and I told her the truth, her date was booked with me…………. But Chad was available. Now, it’s vote of confidence time for Chad. If I didn’t believe in him, I mean, really believe in him I wouldn’t have offered him to Brook So, I called a breakfast meeting to introduce Chad to them and let them decide for themselves. I believed in Chad. But I also did something that I wouldn’t do for just anybody. Lani was having a day wedding and Brook was having an evening wedding. After Lani’s wedding I went to Brook’s wedding to help Chad photograph his wedding. I missed the service but was there for the alter shots and the reception. In retrospect I really wasn’t needed but I know it made Brook feel better, and I really did want to be there for Brook. On the wedding day they were perhaps too easy to photograph, more liked trained models, calm and cool, romantic and so in love.
I went home from Brook’s wedding very shaken. What happened was far too real for me to take. As you know I really relate to Brook’s mother. We connected in my office the year before and I really like her. Brook’s wedding came off looking and feeling like most wedding. Well, except for one of their friends who made a video for their wedding with baby pictures and all. He went to art school and it was the most colorful, and elaborate love story video I have ever seen. It took him days to complete. And, it didn’t fire up the first few times and he was laughing and getting frustrated and when it did work it was jubilation.
There was a father/daughter dance. Many brides tell me that it’s awkward enough to dance with their husband in front of friends and family, but dancing with dad sometimes just feels weird. Sometimes these dances are trite and everybody wants to get it over with. It wasn’t for Brook. She never got the opportunity because her father died when she was 12. Brook stood up and took charge of the room for that moment. She gave a speech, and told Troy that her dad would have loved being there, he would have loved Troy and his family. Then she told her father-in-law that because of him she wanted to take his last name (hyphenated) and she asked for the honor of him taking the place of her father for the father/daughter dance.
I looked around and everybody was in tears. It was a moment like I have never seen at a wedding. I hope none of you ever loath the father/daughter dance again. And if this has got you thinking about your father but your not as bold as Brook to make a public speech, maybe think of a few very special words to say to your dad during the dance, and whisper it in his ear. Though it may not feel like it to you, this is a panicle moment for dad.
Love, loss, and support
At my own wedding I was standing next to my mother when someone asked her how she was doing . “ I find this whole thing to be very stressful” she replied. I remember thinking “What the hell was that? It’s not her that’s getting married! All she has to do is show up and be nice.” Years later, especially after witnessing this event I am sorry I felt that way. If your parents act strange on your wedding day, it’s stressful for them as well, so take it with a grain of salt.
What happened after the beautiful speech Brook gave was what left me very shaken. It turned out her mother and father recorded a song together. She surprised everybody by making it the father/daughter dance. So, there I was being good photographer taking images from the elevated vantage point at the head table. I could get above the crowd and get some good shots of Brook and her father-in -law dancing. Chad was shooting color and I was shooting black and white. It wasn’t long into the song that I ran out of film and went to my bag near the DJ booth to get more film, and passed by Brook’s mom. The music was so loud that nobody could hear her, and everybody was so happy for Brook that all eyes were on her. But as I passed Brook’s mom I could clearly hear her crying. Not a slight sob, but an all out wailing, like someone in pain. And she was all alone. Just then someone noticed her and ran up to her. After the film was loaded I came back and noticed that four or five people had arranged themselves behind her, hugging her. This was a split second decision. Do I intrude on this moment? I really felt terrible for the lady. However, the love and support was incredible. The arrangement was artistic. The undercurrent of love, family and friends was everything I stood for, and this was a moment that needed a photograph. It was very, very real. I crave real moments.
Well thanks for hanging in their for this write up. I just found out that Reader’s Digest will have the abbreviated version published soon. As far as Chad’s performance on this wedding. There was a point that I helped him shoot some color images. But I can’t remember which was mine and which was his because we threw all the exposed film into the same bag. The net result is that he met and surpassed all our expectations, Brook and Troy were happy and they lived happily ever after. The End.
