Can a Widow Photograph Weddings?

The short answer to this is “YES!” A widow and anyone else for that matter can do whatever they set their mind to and work at. It’s just a little different now. I may shed a couple more tears than I used to, but I value marriage and photography more now than I ever did before.

“How can she photograph weddings after just losing her husband?” I know this question has been something that everyone who either knows me or knows of me has been wondering. I wanted to answer it for you, but I needed to answer this question for myself too. It’s a valid question. And I did actually photograph a wedding just a week after I found out about Chris. That was very challenging. But with help from a couple other photographers, friends and some supernatural strength from God I managed to make it through the weekend. I am so glad I did – it was therapeutic to do what I know and love. One of the hardest things for me was trying to make small talk with people who didn’t know what had happened. I, understandably, didn’t have that in me at the time.

This past month I have had a lot of conversations about how I will continue to photograph weddings. Well, what I can say is that getting married to Chris was the best decision I ever made; I wish everyone that kind of companionship, commitment and happiness. I loved weddings when I was single, dating, engaged, married and I still love them now! I think I actually loved photographing them most before I was married when there was still that little bit of mystery to them. You know what I mean? I value that love, those vows and the photos even more now than I ever did before, so witnessing a wedding and being a part of that is very special to me. Capturing candid, raw moments speaks to my heart more than just capturing pretty photos and I hope to do more of that in the future.

A fellow photographer on Instagram recently told me that my story affected her in ways she couldn’t really explain. More than anything it showed her how important our work as photographers really is. We need to make sure we aren’t just getting beautiful Instagram-worthy photos, but truly capturing the relationships, love and emotions of a family and/or couple. Making sure to get those interactive shots with each family member and the emotions that make each person who they are. Also, watching Chris’ memorial video was inspiring for her, seeing all the photos and videos we had of him. If anyone; God forbid, ends up in a similar situation we want to make sure they have photos that accurately keep their memories alive. So, friends and family who get annoyed when people like me bring out their camera – just get in the shot and let us take the photo. Thanks. Love you!

Below are some photos from Chris’ and my wedding ceremony by Amber Hughes. Warning (especially to family): you may want to grab a tissue for these.
This may have been where we were announced a “lawfully bedded” couple haha! Petals to the face haha.