Twisty: Wedding Pics

June 12, 2003

Wedding Pics

Today I braved more than my share of traffic to head up north and go pick up our eagerly anticipated wedding pictures. As part of our photographer’s package, she supplies neatly bound copies of every single picture. These are yours to keep. From this group, you then choose the pictures you wish to duplicate for your album, to give out to relatives, etc. (Note to Brides: Make sure your photographer does this! It takes quite a bit of pressure off of your final picture selection.) In total, she took 724 images, a really dazzling mix of color, black & white, formal and photojournalistic shots.

When she handed over the snug (but heavy!) brown boxes, she said…

“I have two observations about your wedding. Number one, the guests were exceedingly polite and very nice to work with* and number two, you were the most expressive bride I’ve seen in a while. You really look like you enjoyed the day.”

I thanked her and eagerly speeded over to my nearby parents’ house, so I could sip a Diet Dr. Pepper and take a quick glance at the pics before I braved traffic yet again.

The pictures were absolutely lovely. More than a few, I expect, will make it to frames that will adorn desks, mantelpieces and coffee tables for years to come.

However, here was the thing…

I have a goofy look on my face in almost all of them.

There’s one of me shooting an open-mouthed gasp to one of our guests after he made a silly comment and another of me rolling my eyes while recalling a fun memory during the Best Man’s toast. In another, I’m grunting as I shoved on J’s wedding ring**. After a lemon drop shot, my girlfriends and I pucker our lips while the camera snaps away. In yet another, I’m shoveling Kraft cheese slices in my face moments before the ceremony after realizing I never had a bite of lunch to eat. (I’m a fainter, so I have to watch the food intake.) There are close to a dozen shots of me, mouth open, listening intently to guests’ stories and then hugging them enthusiastically, face bunched up in a happy, little mess.

I guess the photographer was right. I may not look like a model, but I had one hell of a time!

* Apparently our guests were both polite and efficient when it came to table pictures. The photographer simply said, “Would you mind taking a picture? TJ and J would really –“ Before she could finish the sentence, they all snapped to attention and got in place. I figure they either must really like J and me or else feared some kind of post-wedding, parking lot smackdown.

** I usually don’t like to dish about J on here, but this is a very sweet story. Before the wedding, I had told him about the superstition that says you should never try someone else’s wedding ring on your ring finger, as it can bring bad luck.

Apparently my dear husband took my advice very much to heart because when we got fitted for wedding rings, he had them measure the ring finger on the wrong hand. Little did I notice at the time, but he was also trying on rings on the wrong hand. So, the first time he ever tried the ring on the correct hand was at our wedding ceremony. Lo and behold, it was way too small. To date, he seldom wears his ring for more than a few hours at a time because it squeezes his finger like crazy. Now that things have calmed down, we’re planning on making a much-needed pit stop at the jeweler.

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