Giving My Grandparents The Wedding Photos They Never Had
Hotel Peter and Paul | Sandy + Frank | October 25, 2021
the story of these photos
As I write this post almost 5 years later, I am so happy I have these photos. My grandfather, the man who raised me and was my adoptive parent on everything but paper, has since passed. In 2021, my grandparents were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. My grandparents were high school sweethearts and did not have a photographer for their wedding. They were married at a church on Burgundy Street in New Orleans just a few houses down from my great grandmother’s house.
When talking with my grandma about their upcoming wedding anniversary, she recounted to me how they never had wedding photos. With me being a wedding photographer, I knew I had to amend this. You see, we were running out of time. My grandpa was diagnosed with dementia and we were losing pieces of him every day. He would have moments of confusion and lucidity. His final lucid moment with me in fact was to give me his best film camera that he kept in pristine condition all these years. He couldn’t speak any longer but he went into his office and with knowing eyes, placed the camera in my hands.
My grandpa bought me my first camera for my fourteenth birthday and was the first person to tell me I had an eye for photography. He funded my photo passion and my confidence with so much belief in my capabilities that I never felt a limit to what I could do as a photographer. In high school he drove me to the French Quarter to ask strangers for their portrait. When it was time to apply to colleges he was there by my side driving 8 hours to Nashville to see an expensive art school. In countless other moments he supported me with unwavering belief that I could achieve anything I wanted and my perspective was valuable and that it mattered. I still hear his reverbrating laugh echo in my mind when he’d sing the song he made up for me as a child: “Allie Cakes, you are you are my little Allie Cakes. There is no other who could take your place- Allie Cakes.”
I looked up the name of the old church where they were married and found that the convent it shared had been converted into a hotel but the church was still there and unchanged. I sent the hotel manager a lengthy email explaining their story and she was so excited to have us use the hotel to take the wedding photos that were 60 years overdue.
I flew into New Orleans from Chicago and the morning of the shoot arrived. My grandpa was having a bad day, confused and disoriented. We would not able to bring him to the hotel and we didn’t know if the wave of confusion would pass for the photos. My grandma decided she still wanted to do photos and a relative was there to stay with him while we set off for the church.
My grandma looked so beautiful. I could feel her joy radiating to be the center of attention for once, her first ever bridal portraits in the place it all began. My grandma was also always my biggest supporter and a constant in my life. The photos on the stairs are actually my great grandmother’s old house on Burgundy Street.
When we made it back home, my grandpa felt much better and was so excited to see my grandma dressed up as a bride. Memory loss is a thief but the part about it that’s sweet is how people remember certain moments from long ago and I think he relived his wedding day with her during these photos. It meant so much to me to be able to do these photos for them: a small token for the precious and safe life they gave me. I hope others enjoy the photos and take my idea. Photograph your loved ones with intention. Make time for special moments. Cherish the days you have together and know even after they have passed, love transcends time and space. It is never gone.
