We were planning on starting this week out by blogging about great local venues for weddings. But this isn't about venues. Or even local folks. Today, let's talk about life handing you lemons. In a not so fun way.
Some brides plan their wedding for years. Others are spur of the moment, "Hey, we're all here on vacation, let's get married," type of ladies. This weekend we had the pleasure of catching both kinds. One we planned for, one we didn't.
We were sitting around on Saturday afternoon talking about dinner(!) when we got the call. A bride's wedding had happened in Cocoa Beach, and the photographer didn't show. The whys and hows aren't as important as the fact that there was a missed moment, an upset bride, and we were being given an opportunity to go in and catch as much as possible of what was left. The bride was, understandably, upset. We would be going into considerably unhappy territory.
We felt up to the challenge. At worst, the bride would be feeling so devastated that she would turn away from the idea of maybe recreating the ceremony and salvaging what was left. At best, they would be game for a do-over with photographers they'd never met. We kept these thoughts in mind as we changed into our super suits and threw gear in the car. On the ride to the venue we discussed how to handle the shots. We were losing daylight, but the evening was beautiful. The wedding party would be dining outdoors on the deck.
We messaged our contact from the parking area as we pulled cameras and lights out. They were aware we were on the property, but we were walking into an unknown.
Things turned out great. It's that simple. The lovely blue-eyed bride and her stoic groom were so much fun! The whole troop had come in from colder regions and had been enjoying the fantastic weather and everyone was sun kissed (if not a little burnt). There were children. Good friends. Family. Down on the beach the chairs were still in neat rows...so why not? Before we knew it we were shooting a Mulligan, and even though they were not the emotions of the original moment, they were the true emotions of the right now. So much laughter! Such good sports! Someone even wrangled a bystander into being the stand-in officiant. (We are gathered to celebrate this thing called life.) :)
Yes, a change of plans can be a bummer. You might think there's no remedy.
Lemonade people. It can be so, so sweet.