Preserving the Day

One of the first things Kathleen told me when she hired me to photograph her wedding was that her mom had been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. It was extremely important to Kathleen that I document the interactions that she and her sister, Jess, would have with their mom throughout the day. She wanted to make sure that they had as many photos as possible of her mom to help preserve the memories that would soon fade quickly from her mother's mind.

The intimate, small wedding held exclusively in a Bed & Breakfast lent itself perfectly for capturing the quiet moments between the girl's and their mom. My heart was completely engaged throughout the whole day as I watched two beautiful young women shower their mother with love.

The day was full of special moments, tender glances, and shared hugs. I quietly observed as tender moments played out before me. I witnessed an achingly beautiful moment when Jess gently and tenderly helped her mom through the steps of getting dressed. I watched as silent tears flooded into Pat's eyes as she watched Jess put on Kathleen's veil. I rejoiced as the girl's took the dance floor and laughter filled the room.

As a photographer my goals go far beyond just taking good photos. I want to be present and engaged in each moment, capturing the raw emotion, the connection, the real. I wanted to be able to hand photographs over to Kathleen that would spark thousands of precious memories. Memories that would make her smile. Memories that would tug at her heart and recreate the beauty of the day.

Memories that would help her to remember the love she saw in her mother's eyes that day.