Back in June, I received an email from a friend (and previous co-worker of my husbands) Kenny. He explained that he was planning to surprise his wife, Wendy, with a vow renewal for their 10th anniversary. He’d asked if I would photograph it for them. Having had no experience with weddings or any event of that nature, my reaction was that our friend Kenny must have lost his mind. A few email conversations went back and forth, and he convinced me to give it a shot.
The next few weeks I tried as best I could to prepare to shoot a wedding. Where do I stand? Do I have the right gear to get what needs to be captured during this special ceremony? Will the guests be able to tell I’ve never shot a wedding before? Ultimately, I kept sane by reminding myself that his other option would just be iPhone photos, and surely I could do better than that.
The big day came and while the nerves were there, there was far more excitement. Kenny meticulously planned the evening for Wendy and their guests, and I could not wait to see it play out. Their family and friends helped organize all the chairs up on top of Federal Hill on a beautiful summer evening in June. He’d asked his father-in-law to preside over the ceremony and he had Wendy’s sister surprise her in the Uber that was supposed to be taking her to “dinner.”
When Wendy pulled up to Federal Hill and got out of the car, she was greeted by her two children, who were SO excited to surprise her. It was the sweetest moment to witness her surprise and watch them run to her.
Beautiful words were read and exchanged between Kenny and Wendy and they officially renewed their vows. There were lots of laughs and you could feel the love, and also Wendy’s genuine surprise at the whole thing. Kenny did such an amazing job planning and orchestrating this event, and I’m sure Wendy will not soon forget it.
After the ceremony we celebrated and enjoyed dinner and drinks at Rowhouse in Federal Hill. It was such a fun evening and I’m so so grateful Kenny pushed me out of my comfort zone to capture this for him and his family.
