I've been getting a growing list of customers lately, but had set aside this weekend as family time. Having an injured shoulder also meant that we have pushed most jobs out until later next week. We were meandering through the grocery store this evening, just taking our time for once & enjoying a simple task with our daughters, when I got a text message from an old acquaintance. She wanted to know if we would consider doing a wedding tonight - AND if we could do it for FREE!!! You gotta be kidding me, right?!?!?!
We dropped our daughters off at my mother's house, threw all the gear in the trunk, hoped we hadn't forgotten anything crucial, and were grateful that we'd both taken showers, just before leaving for the grocery store. With vague directions to a town we didn't know, and our stomachs growling loudly, there wasn't even time to shave my scruffy face. A call from the customer en route helped, but we were already 20 minutes late & everyone was waiting on us.
Talk about walking into a situation blind... the rural location (a small trailer at the end of a dirt road), had been transformed in a pleasant surprise. You see, the bride-to-be is a cancer victim, with freshly burned skin from her most recent radiation treatment. After anxiously hoping for good test results, doctors told her yesterday that she has 'less than a month to live'. Our bride and groom had been hoping to marry after her recovery - those plans were sped up as of noon yesterday. Vendors were called, and asked if they might be able to show up on short notice. Not only did every piece and accessory arrive on time, but every single invoice said 'no charge'. Some vendors didn't have any workers available, but even they allowed the use of their equipment for free. The heat was sweltering - the bride had to climb slowly indoors more than once to escape and recuperate momentarily. I had to run to our vehicle and change shirts three times from sweating so much.
Having nearly lost my own mother to cancer recently, I had to stop shooting a couple times. You see, Vicki is not a young woman - her 'baby' is a newly sworn in U.S. Marine, and her eldest have preteen children. The ceremony? Not a hint of tears from yours truly. Cutting of the cake? Laughs and smiles! (The groom actually had a cake all his own, in the shape of a toolbox!!) But when Lisa, a grown woman & Vicki's only daughter, stood with her mother in front of a large crowd and sang Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings"... it took all I had to stay professional. A few minutes later, her youngest (the Marine) announced that he too had a song to share with his mother - and held her close while singing Blake Shelton's 'The Baby'*. I couldn't take any more, laid the camera down, and cried right along with everyone else.
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It's after 2 a.m., I'm physically and emotionally drained - but so honored to have been asked to help tonight. Was it fate that I had a free schedule this weekend? I don't know my friend, I just don't know. Just please remember that 'everything happens for a reason', trust that tomorrow is another day to treasure, and hold your loved ones tight. I may not sleep at all tonight, but I'm going upstairs to watch my own babies sleep for a while. Please, keep this family in your thoughts, that they may have as much joy as possible with Vicki's final days. If you can spare just a little more, keep me in your thoughts, that my work might bring some small comfort, and that our photos bring them a smile now and then.
* - A country song about a man being the family 'baby', always spoiled by his mother, who doesn't make it home in time when she dies suddenly... Lyrics
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