In the past few weeks, as I’ve been talking with brides on pretty much a daily basis, I’ve really begun to understand something that is simultaneously incredibly cool and overwhelmingly humbling: As a wedding photographer, a couple isn’t just hiring me to take beautiful pictures on their wedding day, or even provide a catalog of their most treasured memories. My job encompasses even more than that.

I’m there to hold my brides’ hands as they prepare for the biggest day of their lives.

I’m there to tell my grooms they’re marrying the most beautiful girls in the world.

I’m there to remind couples that, no matter how tiring or stressful wedding planning can become, the payoff of marriage is worth every bit of it.
Something else I’ve been thinking about is how much couples rely on wedding photographers to be so much more than photographers — friends, confidants, supporters, sounding boards, creative assistants. It’s a big role. Much bigger than just holding a camera or editing images, and much bigger than most brides (or photographers — this one included!) surely anticipated until they entered this unique relationship. I think it’s a huge honor. It’s also a blast.

I get to reassure my brides that they’re doing a great job mapping out their wedding plans — even if the Wedding Planning Timelines they find in bridal magazines try to make them think they’re woefully behind in booking a florist. (You would not believe how many brides get stressed out because of those lists!)

I get to help my grooms feel like there’s no one else in the world who could love and take care of their brides-to-be the way they can.

I get to witness some of the most significant, sweetest moments in a couple’s life.

So to my 2012 couples, I hope you understand just how much I appreciate the way you include me in such an important time of your life. It’s an honor, and it’s my pleasure. I know I have the best job in the world. Thank you for giving me the best job in the world!

~ Laura