Have you ever stared at a photograph so long you have memorized its every detail? I have. This is the photograph.

Today, my grandparents would have celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. On Sunday February 27th, 1944 my grandfather came home from serving in the Naval Air Corps to Brooklyn, NY so he could marry the girl he had loved since he was 10 years old.

I’ve studied this picture since the time I was little. I know every detail of my grandmother’s wedding dress, I’ve memorized the style of her dark hair, jewelry and flowers. I have always thought my grandfather looked like a movie-star in this photo. I have noticed every button and the embroidery on his uniform. I see his high school ring on his left hand and remember what it was like holding his wrinkled hand, wearing that same ring when he was in his 80s.

I look at this picture, see their beauty, their elegance and strength of character. I’m so proud. I look at their faces and wonder who in our family resembles them most. Can I see my own children in their faces? I look extra close hoping I can.  

Now as a wedding photographer, I think about the person who took this picture. Did that person have any idea they were capturing a legacy? Could he or she have grasped that they were creating an image that would be so cherished 70 years later by their granddaughter?

As a wedding photographer, I don’t lose sight that what I do leaves something valuable behind. I use photography to document personal stories that are important to people now and future generations. Their value is precious just like this photo is to me.  

Happy 70th Anniversary Mama & Papa! I love you and I miss you. The inspiring love that you had for one another is not forgotten, I promise that it still lives on.