This was just a beautiful ceremony that somehow managed to be both intimate and inclusive, celebrating thirty years of dating (Jen and Brett are married but celebrate when they started dating, which I love) with personal vows, incredible singing from Jen, and the most successful ice breaker exercise I’ve ever seen.
Let’s start with the image above. I love how it captures the feel of the ceremony. We get a window into the relationship and their bond as Brett reads from his vows, but neither his nor Jen’s faces are visible, which keeps us a degree removed from them at the same time as their clasped hands pull us in.
And black and white, naturally.
Okay now. This is how you do an ice-breaker. Brett asked a pair of the younger attendees to walk around the room, handing out cards. Each card had a question, and upon receiving their card each guest was required to ask it of another guest, but with the caveat that it was someone they didn’t know. It worked brilliantly and got the whole room - not a small room, either - chatting animatedly with someone who a moment ago had been a perfect stranger.
Which is also great for candid photos, FYI.
Remember I mentioned singing? Oh yeah. Jen sang three times, full songs accompanied by this blurry chap on acoustic guitar. Brett knew she was singing but didn’t know any of the songs beforehand. So amazing to see his reactions and be a part of it; and man, she can hold a tune!
One extra note about colour. Jen and Brett both wore blue - Brett’s tie being especially spectacular - and I don’t know if they asked for this, but there was a predominant blue theme among the guests as well, which makes for a strong and coherent visual story running through the images. Nice.
And damn. Nothing else needed here but a simple, clean image of a beautiful moment. You can feel the total lack of distance separating these two in every sense, and the 85mm focal length on this shot gives you a sense of your own polite distance from them.
A final note: their entire ceremony was devoid of arbitrary rules or conventions except those they had personal reasons to include, and they planned/hosted the whole thing themselves, for their guests but ultimately for themselves. Perfect.
Gear:
Sony A7III
Sony 85 1.8, Tamron 28-75 2.8