This was taken on my first day back to documenting weddings since the pandemic and it was nothing short of amazing. I found myself being reintroduced to the work I do once again and I have bloody well missed it. I once documented a wedding of just 10 people and I thought it was the most beautiful thing ever. The new norm so far has been looking a whole lot like that and more. Be it an honest ceremony, an official courthouse signing, a meaningful family lunch do at at home or at a cozy restaurant, it doesn’t matter how you do it but love is love, and your Commitment to one another can be celebrated even in the most unprecedented of times. That aside, where do I even begin!? I loved everything about this day. From Melissa getting ready and sharing a little moment with her Grandmother who did her hair that morning, to seeing my barefoot bride twirling around in her linen dress (which was absolutely gorgeous, by the way! by Joslin Studio) with the love of her life, dizzy in love amongst 20 of their beloved people, I feel so much for these two and their families I could go on forever with things I loved but lets start with Melissa & Jia Jun's story.
Spontaneity is a Meticulously Prepared Heart.
Melissa & Jia Jun (also affectionally known as JJ) met at a friend’s party do in Washington D.C. Now, something must have really sparked between them and I say this because their second date happened in Chicago when JJ was en route home from a work trip in Bangladesh. Their third date? Well, I can’t really put their experience into words but their third date must’ve been a beautifully extraordinary one because they found themselves travelling to Cuba together on their third date.
They say the best moments happen when they are unplanned and this rings true because really, you can’t always be waiting for the perfect time. You have to dare to do it because life is too short to wonder what could have been. “Our relationship has thrived on spontaneity, only because it has always felt right.” - JJ
I’ve now come to realise Spontaneity is really, at its core, a meticulously prepared heart. These two were always, always meant to be together and I truly believe that the Universe has conspired and pulled all its strings to make that happen.
& now, onto Their Little Micro-Wedding. This is a term I’ve only just started hearing more of since the pandemic hit us, and it’s one I’ve really begun understanding and loving more as each day passes. I’ve done five of them so far and it’s really given me a perspective on life, love and what really matters at the end of the day.
People tend to use the term Elopement & Micro-weddings interchangeably and when it comes up as a topic of conversation, a lot of us don’t see the difference and are unable to distinguish between the two, which also somehow puts them off the idea of ever considering to celebrate the love they have during these times of a familiar and yet, unfamiliar new norm. The thought of Eloping isn’t an experience that people in our region seem to resonate with and from what I gather, isn’t even deemed acceptable for many. You tell your parents you want to Elope and.. well.. you’re going to get a shelling, and though they make for a beautiful, intimate, gorgeously photographic experience, I completely understand why.
Elopements imply that you are en route to having a spontaneous, quick wedding attended by few or no guests.
Now, a Micro Wedding is pretty much a wedding. It revolves around all the things that would make up a traditional, conventional wedding day like a little venue, great eats, cake, table setting, decor, the people you love and Me (really read as a Photographer !) along with all the other elements you’ve always dreamed of having when you get married. The only difference here it’s done to a much smaller degree.
Through these times of uncertainty where we can’t say indefinitely what’ll happen in the middle of a pandemic, how are you choosing to celebrate the love you have? Though many have had to postpone their day, I’ve been really blessed with a precious few who chose to have a micro-wedding. Be it because they’ve got financial considerations, wanted to keep everyone safe or to do it just because, my couples didn’t have to be pushed into picking between a huge conventional celebration or a radical elopement. Instead, they chose to have their little cake and eat it with the people they love and care about the most. For Melissa & JJ, it was everything and more. Love is love and that should always be celebrated, even in the hardest of times.
I’ve seen all kinds of Love through the years doing what I do and I’ve never come across the same kind of love twice. These two share a love that keeps your soul warm and leaves your heart full of content. I vibe and thrive off this type of energy and it has brought my love for what I do to a whole other level. Sometimes, it’s the littlest things that makes the biggest impact in your life, and I hope these frames show you why.
