Sunil & Amanda were married two years ago today on 3.17.12 in Orono, Minnesota. I fell in love with these two instantly and it was such a blessing to be a part of their wedding day. You can click here to see their original wedding blog post.
Today, in honor of these two, I asked them if they would be willing to share their favorite wedding photo and why it's so meaningful to them. As per her usual, Amanda sent me THE SWEETEST email in reply that completely moved me. And while I could skip over most of it and just share what she ultimately revealed to be her favorite photo, I feel like her entire email is worthy of inclusion here as it sheds light on the question I most want to answer through these posts: What do couples most cherish in their photos after the wedding? I love receiving this kind of feedback from brides. Not just because it makes me feel good (which is indeed a perk), but because it gives me insight into what is really important to my clients, and it reinforces for me why I do what I do. This is what Amanda shared:
"My favorite wedding photo. Umm... excuse me while I go spend 5 hours getting lost in my wedding day for the 100th time! There are just TOO many beautiful ones to choose from! And what a lovely problem to have. :)
There are a few photos that come to mind when I think of my favorites. All of the images of me with my dad will forever mean the world to me. When he was diagnosed with cancer a few years before my wedding, I wasn't sure if he would walk me down the aisle. I am SO grateful to have those moments. These three I especially hold dear:
Today, in honor of these two, I asked them if they would be willing to share their favorite wedding photo and why it's so meaningful to them. As per her usual, Amanda sent me THE SWEETEST email in reply that completely moved me. And while I could skip over most of it and just share what she ultimately revealed to be her favorite photo, I feel like her entire email is worthy of inclusion here as it sheds light on the question I most want to answer through these posts: What do couples most cherish in their photos after the wedding? I love receiving this kind of feedback from brides. Not just because it makes me feel good (which is indeed a perk), but because it gives me insight into what is really important to my clients, and it reinforces for me why I do what I do. This is what Amanda shared:
"My favorite wedding photo. Umm... excuse me while I go spend 5 hours getting lost in my wedding day for the 100th time! There are just TOO many beautiful ones to choose from! And what a lovely problem to have. :)
There are a few photos that come to mind when I think of my favorites. All of the images of me with my dad will forever mean the world to me. When he was diagnosed with cancer a few years before my wedding, I wasn't sure if he would walk me down the aisle. I am SO grateful to have those moments. These three I especially hold dear:
However, when I think of photos of me and my adorable husband, I think of photos like the one below left (where we are just SO dang excited to be getting married!), the one below right (Goodbye long distance, and hello WEDDING!),
…the one below (Newly married AND hiding away in a forest with my favorite photographer in the world? YES please!)
…and below left (Feeling loved. Feeling safe. Feeling home.). All of these photos are my favorites.
But. My most favoritest photo of all is the one pictured below right. There are a bunch of reasons why...
But. My most favoritest photo of all is the one pictured below right. There are a bunch of reasons why...
First of all, as a photographer myself, the light and composition in this photo is beautiful! I SWOON for backlighting and with the symmetry and simplicity - it's absolutely exquisite.
Also, (I'm so embarrassed to admit this, but I'll just go ahead and admit how vain I am) I love the way my back looks. Every woman dreams of being beautiful on her wedding day and I love how every photo you took that day was super flattering. Vain moment over. ;)
Here's the REAL reason I love this photo so much: Sunil and I know that if our marriage is going to last through thick and thin, we need help from something bigger than us. We need Jesus, not just separately in our individual lives, but in our marriage as one flesh. Because of that belief we each carry, we knew it would be really important to honor God with our entire wedding day. So we intentionally structured our ceremony to allow for some songs of worship at the very beginning. To start things right. To begin with Christ.
This photo so perfectly captures Sunil and I doing what we were meant to do - worship our Creator side by side. It embodies our entire wedding day: the attire, the flowers, the chapel, and us. But it's so much more than that. It captures our desire to please God not only with our ceremony, but with our marriage. And it's the photo that I blew up on a huge canvas to put over our bed... so that I can be reminded every day what the purpose of our marriage is - it's not JUST about loving each other, it's about loving Him too.
So thanks, Melissa. Thank you so much for recognizing and capturing such a beautiful moment of my husband and I. We were so blessed to have you photograph our wedding day and (if I remember correctly) thrilled that you even sang along with some of the worship songs ;)."
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When I read that last sentence I couldn't believe that Amanda had noticed! Photographer caught singing on the job -- haha! But I am so easily swept up in worship when couples include it in their ceremonies. What an amazing thing to witness and to be a part of. Seriously, it was such an honor.
Amanda, thank you so much for sharing this. I love you and Sunil's hearts and am thrilled that God brought you together two years ago today. AND that I got to fly across the country to witness it.
Happy anniversary to an amazing couple!!
Also, (I'm so embarrassed to admit this, but I'll just go ahead and admit how vain I am) I love the way my back looks. Every woman dreams of being beautiful on her wedding day and I love how every photo you took that day was super flattering. Vain moment over. ;)
Here's the REAL reason I love this photo so much: Sunil and I know that if our marriage is going to last through thick and thin, we need help from something bigger than us. We need Jesus, not just separately in our individual lives, but in our marriage as one flesh. Because of that belief we each carry, we knew it would be really important to honor God with our entire wedding day. So we intentionally structured our ceremony to allow for some songs of worship at the very beginning. To start things right. To begin with Christ.
This photo so perfectly captures Sunil and I doing what we were meant to do - worship our Creator side by side. It embodies our entire wedding day: the attire, the flowers, the chapel, and us. But it's so much more than that. It captures our desire to please God not only with our ceremony, but with our marriage. And it's the photo that I blew up on a huge canvas to put over our bed... so that I can be reminded every day what the purpose of our marriage is - it's not JUST about loving each other, it's about loving Him too.
So thanks, Melissa. Thank you so much for recognizing and capturing such a beautiful moment of my husband and I. We were so blessed to have you photograph our wedding day and (if I remember correctly) thrilled that you even sang along with some of the worship songs ;)."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I read that last sentence I couldn't believe that Amanda had noticed! Photographer caught singing on the job -- haha! But I am so easily swept up in worship when couples include it in their ceremonies. What an amazing thing to witness and to be a part of. Seriously, it was such an honor.
Amanda, thank you so much for sharing this. I love you and Sunil's hearts and am thrilled that God brought you together two years ago today. AND that I got to fly across the country to witness it.
Happy anniversary to an amazing couple!!
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