A personal email from a past bride…
I actually wrote this post back in the summer and although I am only just getting round to posting it, I am going to keep the original wording. I think it best encapsulates how I felt when I read Jenny’s words and also how she felt when she wrote them. Below are some photographs of Jenny and her mum on their wedding day at Primrose Hill Farm back in 2018.
This time of year is always a reflective one. Summer’s over and the majority of my weddings are done and delivered, meaning it’s time to catch up on all the behind the scenes things that make my business tick (planning, website, accounts, marketing, hard drive management etc!) and blogging is up there at the top. Not only am I excited to share all the wonderful weddings I’ve been photographing over the summer but also share some reflective thought’s about my business, my approach, helpful tips and ideas, and kind emails from my couples.
Back in the summer I received this email from Jenny and it honestly made me tear up. With weddings you’re so involved leading up to and on the day and then after *poof* you quite often don’t see people again. I often wonder about what’s gone on to be next for them (if I’m lucky I sometimes get to shoot family photographs for them!) so when an email pops up from a past couple I am always very excited to hear their news.
This email made me really stop and think, even if we’re not in contact anymore the wedding photographs live on and are an ongoing reminder about their day and their experience with me. I always say that photographs of your wedding are an investment – as in they gain value as the years tick by. Yes, I know it’s expensive but emails like this really bring it all back into perspective that they have a huge amount of value above and beyond that one day.
Also Jenny’s email came at a very good time – midseason I have a tendency to get a tad burnt out. I’m sad about missing all my own family events because I’m at weddings, I feel like I’m not producing my best work all the time, and I seriously doubt myself and my abilities. So when I get praise that two years on they are still loving their photos it restores my faith in my self and my work.
So, in conclusion (and I know I’m biased) whatever you do, make sure to get proper photographs of your wedding day. It’s so rare you get everyone together and as sad as it is you never know what’s going to happen, as Jenny says in her email. Book me, book someone else, whatever you want – just make sure you prioritise getting photographs with your absolute nearest and dearest.
“Today, Andy and I celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. Looking back, we had such a wonderful day surrounded by our friends and family and the photos that you took really captured the joy we (and, hopefully, our guests) felt that day.
Sadly my mum passed away very suddenly in March 2018. She always reminisced about how much she enjoyed our wedding day and I really cherish a particular photo that you took of the two of us (above). Throughout the day, you managed to capture the sheer delight she felt and the fun she had, particularly on the dance floor! Ironically, we asked you to focus on taking some photos of my nan and, at 92, she is still going strong!
We have also been blessed by the birth of our baby boy, Kit, who was born in October 2018. He is wonderful in every way but had quite a fight on his hands in April when he had open heart surgery which did not go according to plan. 3 days of life support, 3 surgeries in 4 days, 3 weeks in intensive care and a month in hospital helped to fix his heart and we cherish every moment we have with him. I have attached a photo of him from last week's heatwave - clearly loving life!
Despite the challenges we have faced in the past couple of years (I really feel like our wedding vows have had enough testing!), we really feel that we are so lucky: we have each other, the support of close family and friends, a wonderful and happy little boy and we are continuing to develop our little home in the countryside.
I can imagine that shooting weddings can become tedious sometimes, having to work with bridezillas (or mummy bridezillas), carefully negotiating family politics, not having any free weekends in the summer, staying up late when all you want to do is curl up in bed with a cuppa etc. but the photos you take are so special and are truly treasured for years afterwards.
Thank you for everything you did for us 2 years ago and for helping to make our wedding day full of fun, happiness, hilarity and such a memorable day (for all the right reasons!)”
Jenny Scott x
