When wedding photographer, Ken Mendoza of Duende Photo was hired to shoot an engagement party, little did he know that his photographs would play a major role in the wedding ceremony of the same couple a year later.
Dina and Mark had been together for several years when, in 2006, they decided to marry. Both were finishing graduate school and wanted to plan the wedding for after graduation. But they had one big concern. Mark's grandparents, the people who raised him, were in their late 80's and in fragile health. It was doubtful that they'd be around for the wedding in another two years.
So Dina and Mark came up with a solution. They threw a fantastic engagement party, invited family and all their closest friends, and a photographer. The party gathered around a lavish family style meal. Everyone told stories and shared memories, while Ken stealthily took candid photos.
Two years later, Mark's grandparents were not there for the wedding, but their presence was. Ken had bound the photos from the engagement party into a large book, and he framed two beautiful shots of Dina and Mark talking and laughing with Mark's grandparents. These were placed on the altar. At the beginning of the wedding ceremony, I welcomed the guests and spoke about the importance of family and friends. Then Mark talked about his grandparents. He invited everyone to spend a few moments with the engagement book later and, if so moved, to enter their thoughts and memories on the blank pages. The book would become part of a ritual that is used to celebrate each anniversary and to relive the happy memories of the past.
I Do adapts traditions and creates new options to help couples personalize their wedding ceremonies. by Sydney Barbara Metrick Buy The Book www.ChickenSoupCounseling.com
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