The Reason I'm Here...

My daughter had a friend over to play the other day. That's not out of the ordinary, but what caught me off guard was hearing her tell her friend as they went down the stairway, the names of all the ancestors and relatives we have photos of on our wall. "That's my Aunt and Uncle", she said. "That's me when I was a baby, and that's my Great-Great-Grandma and Grandpa". And it hit me that though they had never met (I had never even met her), she felt connected to her because of that photograph! The fact that we have a photo of her on her wedding day proudly displayed in our home is a testament to the tremendous power of photography.

I remember when my grandmother found that photograph in an old trunk in her attic. Our whole family sat in awe as we unearthed treasure after treasure from the time capsule! We found sketches Grandma had done when she was in art school, pieces of her wedding gown (sadly, the moths had gotten to it before we did), and then the photograph. There was my grandmother's mother on her wedding day circa 1915 with her new husband seated beside her. She wore a simple, cotton gown with white gloves and a cap veil. Like I said...I had never met her, but I saw her features in my own face and I felt an instant connection to my family's history just like my daughter does now.

When we think about weddings, we think about things like schedules, locations, menus, flowers and yes, we think about photos too. But when we think about the photos...we don't always think about the fact that those photos will be seen by future generations. Someday in the distant future, a little girl may see her features in the photo of a bride I photographed last weekend. A woman she never knew, but will feel a connection with nonetheless. And that...is the reason I'm here.





The photos in this collage are more photos from my family's collection. Clockwise from the top left: An unknown family member from around the time of the First World War (notice his uniform..he was in the Kaiser's Army). My Aunt Marty (with her twin sister, Bertie as her Maid of Honor), The photo described in the post, my Great-Grandmother, Cecelia and my Great-Grandfather, Julius). Next, one of my favorites...my Great Aunt Albina and Uncle Walter and their Roaring 20's wedding! My husband's parents (who will celebrate their 45th anniversary this year). And the last one, yeah, I know it's not a wedding photo...but it's one I adore! That's my grandmother in front of the flag at a 4th of July picnic sometime in the early 20's.