Pixiq

Children in the wedding party used to be cute accessories; now quite often they take center stage. 

With today’s blended and mixed families, children of the bride and groom are more frequently the norm rather than the exception at wedding ceremonies. They come in all ages, as of course do the orientation of their parents. We have also been seeing weddings taking place after a child has arrived to the bride and groom.

When this happens, particularly if the child is a baby, our photographic job is to tell the story of a family in formation, an exploration of relationships that already far exceed a customary wedding celebration. You’ve got to have portraits, candids, action series, relations with other family members - and weave all these elements together. Potentially a complex, tenderly emotional and beautiful album.

Amanda and Will hired me for their wedding photographer - and then introduced me to the 3^rd person they would be “marrying”. Little Aria their delightful and very active one year old. A devoted couple well before Aria’s conception, their formal wedding had to take a back seat of other concerns and for Aria’s arrival.

Starting at the beginning to tell the whole story, it was obvious to me the engagement photo would be a group of three. The portrait was also the eventual inspiration for the award winning Professional Photographers of America masters’ competition album: “Now We Are Three”.

I knew right away in consultation that this wedding would be memorable. How? The couple liked all black and white, had no unrealistic expectations of their one year old daughter and spoke about the storytelling they envisioned as the basis for their album. 

Total photojournalist’s heaven!

 On the day of the wedding events unfolded in front of my camera just as I had hoped. The camera was not ignored, which can easily mean all you get is backs of heads. But no one was uptight about being photographed; I was given every access. The precious child toddled from one bridesmaid to the next in the dressing room, charming everyone. Grandparents and aunts and uncles took their job as kid wrangler very seriously. The child was comfortably passed from arm to arm, and kept happy and alert with snacks and major attention. She glowed. And her expressions made for a treasure trove of candid must-have moments.

Story-wise, the best part of the day was yet to come. Better than anything I could have imagined. Baby Aria quietly hugged her grandparents during the ceremony, but at the kiss she called out, reaching stubby little arms toward her Dad. Will scooped her up, and the three now one recessed down the garden aisle together. Undoubtedly one of the most emotional series of images I’ve ever made. I believe this couple’s long standing and comfortable relationship gave them grounding that I’ve found is notably absent at 99 out of 100 weddings. Maybe more like 999 out of 1000! 

If you want your wedding photography to capture real people, rather than unrelated snapshots or trendy poses that will look dated in a few years, there is a huge amount of collaborative rapport that must just click. Use any skill you possess. A perfect fit. My intuitive eye and the couple’s equilibrium.