Enchanted

Erin and Richard

September 21, 2007

Lifetime Images Year 2007 Real Wedding

One second I was at a signal waiting to make a left turn, the next minute my vehicle was pushed forward at 25 MPH straight into the car in front of me.  It was so fast and hard I didn't know what hit me.   Well, actually I did know what hit me.  It was a Ford F350 utility  truck.  Thankfully, a well insured truck.  I turned the Accord in front of me into an accordion and basically brought an unhappy end to the day of 3 more cars in front of me.   It wasn't long before the Wittier police showed up and the cop said “License and registration” in a deep police officer voice, and then whispers “Hey buddy, it's okay, I'm a photographer too.”  Thus started my surreal journey that ended with a very nice wedding.

 With nothing less than ten and half thousand dollars worth of damage I somehow was still able to drive my little Ford Escape home that night.  The next day I went over to my local Ford dealership to get  the truck back together again.  I then, literally walked down the street to the local Enterprise office to rent a vehicle for the next few months.  As I walked in I was awe-struck by beautiful red haired woman working behind the counter. If you ever saw the Disney Movie Enchanted, toward the end of the movie where the princess went to the ball, this is exactly what Erin looks like.    I remember thinking that she wasn't what I was expecting to see behind the counter.   The other thing that crossed my mind was that she was very knowledgeable about her company and policies, but at the same time, felt like a friend I had most of my life.  She was so easy to talk to, the entire experience felt more like I was renting a car from a friend than a large, cold corporation.  I recalled at one point I really wanted to drive a Toyota Forerunner.  When the time was right, she made it happen.   At one point I had some of my work with me so I took some time to show it to Erin.  I remember her looking this over and saying “Wow, so beautiful, I wish I was getting married.  I'll have to keep you in mind.  I just started dating a guy last week. .  . you never know.”

That guy's name was Richard.  And within a few years Erin's opinion of Richard changed from “You never know” to  “I'm going to marry this man and mother his children.”  At the same time, I never, in my wildest dreams would have believed that Erin would have held onto my business card for a couple of years, and contact me when she was getting married.  As she read through my site, I happened to mention that I had a Boston Terrier, and she had just recently got one herself.  It's a somewhat rare breed of dog, not too many people have them.  

 Erin has this really low key anything goes kind of attitude.  She didn't get caught up in the whirlwind  of wedding drama, in fact when she first came over to visit with me, they didn't have a reception venue picked out, and she wasn't in the mood to get all wrapped up in anticipation of her wedding day.    At first I was a little worried about it because she was so even-keel about her expectations that I was wondering how excited she was for the big day?   But, something strange happened. As her wedding became closer, she got more excited.  Usually, its the other way around, the bride loves being engaged, it's so fresh, so new.  But over time as the wedding gets closer, it's a lot of work, and not that much fun.  With Erin, it was the opposite, she wasn't sure about being a bride, but wanted to get married.  As she got closer to her date, she felt a lot more comfortable as she saw the big picture (pardon the pun).  She new she was making the right decision,  and became more excited as the date approached.  She was still a no-nonsense kinda gal, but she felt comfortable with going into bridal chick mode.  And yes, she made a very pretty bride like I knew she would.  It was kinda strange because I remember looking at her years ago and commenting how I would love to have her as a bride (though she had no serious boyfriend at the time), and this day was about to happen!

The Wedding Day

The Santa Ana's kicked in

Weather is always a potential factor during a wedding.  The two things we try to avoid are extreme heat and rain.   They can both have a negative impact on a wedding day.   October is like a box of chocolates,  you never know what you're going to get.  It can be awfully hot, or,  it can be cold and raining. Or it can be one of the most pleasant, mild days of the year.  On this particular Sunday, the Santa Ana winds started blowing, by the next day Southern California had a couple of thousand less homes due to 18 different wildfires.   Though the fires didn't come anywhere near the wedding, the winds were blowing so hard that table cloths and place settings kept blowing off the table.  There was a layer of dust and dirt in the air that was noticeable in certain backlight images.  Did Erin freak out?  A little at first.  She kept calling her coordinator Dina (www.DinaPrentissevents.com) and Dina kept her calm and focused.   Somehow, as the wedding approached, the winds died down a bit to no really be a factor to deal with.

The wedding party. 

The funny thing about a wedding party is that it often consists of friends from different aspects of the bridal couple's life.  The bridesmaid from the bride's sixth grade soccer team doesn't know the bridesmaid from her college days. For this wedding it seemed that the groomsmen knew each other well, and the bridesmaids not as well.  But, by the end of the night, they were one tight, cohesive group. One gal in particular, Annie, the Maid of Honor, was like a mobile party, just so much fun!  She would do whatever it took for a good laugh.  The best man gave one of the most fantastic best man speeches I've ever heard!  It was less like a toast, and more like a loving little roast where he basically broke down every childhood secret.   Funny, sentimental, yet very tasteful.  This guy had an incredible sense of timing even when he worked up to "And I caught you  in my backyard, playing kissy face with the love of my life when my parents were on vacation and you were  supposed to feeding my cat!"   

Toasts are very tricky because too often they turn into roasts with so many inappropriate things said.  Its funny to start ranking on someone but if many of the guests really only know the bride and the best man paints the groom in a very bad light, what does that say about the choice the bride made?   This was especially true because so many people really knew and loved Erin because she has this way of ingratiating herself with people.  People knew Richard as a fun and funny guy but to have his partner in crime stand up there and say that "I love you like a brother"  and recap the many adventures they had together in a way like it almost sounds like he was talking about a funny movie, you knew Erin made the right choice.   Before I went to the wedding I thought Erin made a good selection in my mind, but after this day and especially this toast there was no doubt that they are ideally suited for each other.  Erin has found a great guy, and though there may be some days that are worse than others, she has a lot of fun to look forward to in her life. 

The ceremony

“Was it too short?”  No Erin, it was perfect.  However, if anybody who attended the wedding felt gypped, here's the deal.  Send me an e-mail.  Next time I get an Indian wedding I'll invite you, and you can sit through the three hour ceremony.  Be sure to bring a nice gift! 

It was an outdoor service.   The  late afternoon backlighting was a bit harsh, which made the photography a bit tough.  Still we were able to pull off some nice images.  There was a very touching poem written by a family member that was so poignant.  It was written during the depression era and spoke of struggling, family and drying the dishes.  We are fortunate to live in one of the most successful countries in the history of the world in a time relatively good economic prosperity.     This poem which will be at the bottom of this page was given with a set of dish towels that were  hand embroidered with each day of the week from Erin's great grandmother to another relative at a wedding long ago.  Erin and Richard received the Thursday towel from this couple.  This is a throwback to a time when possessions were scarce and gifts like this couldn't be ordered on the internet.  It was made with love and hours and hours of work from Erin's great grandmother.  The passing of this towel is one of the greatest and profound gifts I have ever heard given at a wedding.    Every word in the poem is true.   It speaks of love not in grand gestures or gifts, but in simple time  together.  It also reinforces the notion that we really don't remember days, we remember moments.  When this poem was read at the wedding, people sat in their seats weeping.

The reception.

The reception started right around sunset.  The lighting was perfectly gorgeous.  I only wished it could have been like that all night.  The weather was quite comfortable, though a tad dry. The bartender was going all night keeping people's thirst quenched, and mixing up the drinks, can you say “OPEN BAR!”?  The drinks flowed, the bartender kept double busy that night because it was so dry out and because people cut loose and had a great time.  This usually doesn't happen at weddings that often. 

It was a fun crowd, and people really enjoyed themselves.  As the limo pulled off around ten PM that night I was amazed how many people were still there.  Sunday weddings often get cleared out by 9:00 PM.   This one was still going strong to the end.   I guess the crowd is full of Erin and Richard groupies.  I know I paid my $10 and I'm member of their fanclub.  I even have the sew on badge and sing along book!

I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with wonderful clients. Most of the are people you've never heard of before such as Erin and Richard. If you knew them, and happen to be fortunate enough to be there you would  always remember this wedding.   They are just fabulous people who deserve nothing but the best for the future, and that's why they have each other!

Washing the Dishes Together

By Professor Hughes’ Father

Tis’ evening time in the farmhouse old

The sun has set in its bed of gold,

The cows are milked, the chores put by

As we’re washing dishes together.

Upon the stove the dishpan sits

So full, so bright with its china bits

The fire is losing its ruddy glow

At last the embers are burning low.

Now into the drainer they’re coming quick

With their merry, cheery, clattering click

My Jessie washes them while I dry,

I can’t keep up and I don’t know why.

“Just wed” you say? You’re mistaken

no, we married some 18 years ago

our oldest boy is almost 16,

our only girl has six summers seen.

I used to think I loved her

When she was a girl, and I did to then,

But how that love with the years has grown

And I don’t know how it is better shown

Than by washing the dishes together.

We keep no girl, for we can’t you know

Times are dull and prices low

A mortgage is holding the homestead down

But my eyes of blue look into hers of brown

As we’re washing the dishes together.

We both worked hard as the years have passed

Some shadows into our lives were cast.

But somehow I think that we’ll pull through

It seems to me folks always do.

Who keep washing the dishes together.

And 28 years later Grandpa Hughes added this verse:

Now I am old and my hair is gray

The bride of my youth has passed away

But no greater joy have I ever known

Than when washing the dishes together.