Candid Wedding Photos

I'm totally obsessed with the blog Moment Junkie. Photographers submit wedding day photography that is candid and journalistic. They are always beautiful, and vary between hilarious and touching. So the other day I was going through my own wedding day photos, trying to find my own "junkies." This is what I found:

There are a million photos of my dad visiting with one person or another at my wedding. If only you knew how much this is a reflection of his personality. Here he is visiting with my grandmother-in-law. I'm sure the conversation was pretty funny...Abuela's English is broken, and my father has the worst phoentic awareness/skills.

This photo cracks me up. That's Marisa on the right.  She's Nathaniel's cousin, and is a total ball of sunshine. In the center in yellow, is Nathaniel's sister, and the other two are more cousins. If you've ever waited outside an LDS temple waiting for a couple to come out after they've been married...you know this photo describes it perfectly: excitement, anxiousness, and a large dose of boredom.

This photo isn't particularly interesting, but I love all those smiling faces. I can't begin to describe what it felt like to walk out of the temple and be greeted with a wall of loved ones quietly grinning ear-to-ear. I felt so loved and supported. I know you can't see a lot of people in it, but you get the idea. I wish I had a wide-angle photo of every face I was greeted with when we stepped out!

The photo on the left is from my cousin McKenzie's wedding. On the right is my own. You can see our Grandma creepin' in both of them on the right sides. When I saw mine, I instantly thought of this photo from McKenzie's. You can tell Grandma was excited for us...she's right up there in the action!

I think at this moment the photographer was trying to gather people for photos. We were in la-la land.

A bear hug with one of my best friends, Kellene.

I don't remember who took the photo, but I was definitely in my underwear...hence the pink plastic wedding-dress bag held up in front of my body. And I love my mom rockin' her heat curlers. This was right before the reception.

 Another hug. This one with my mom at the reception. And one of my sweetest friends, Laura, laughing at one of Nathaniel's antics. For me, this photo just says joy.

My sweet cousins. They are the sisters I've never had.

The reason I shared this photo, is because of the little girl just to the right of Nathaniel. Her name is Sandee, she's my childhood best friend's little sister. My friend, Dana, hosted an engagement party six months before we got married. Sandee helped Dana at the party. At one point, Sandee sat Nathaniel down for an "interview," and ended by batting her lashes and asking for his number. She even stroked his arm (you can see the photo from the party to the right...look at her, scammin' on my man!) Now, when Dana is on the phone with me, Sandee asks Dana how Nathaniel is doing...not me. She is a spunky little thing. I think the photo at the wedding captured the magic she so obviously sees in the world.

And then, a photo from our second reception in Miami:

I wasn't wearing my wedding dress at our reception in Miami, but it still felt every bit of a reception. We sat at a couple's table, and one of Nathaniel's old church leaders gave us a little speech. He started speaking in Spanish, laughed, looked at me, and switched to English after realizing I had no idea what he was saying. The reception was filled with yummy Cuban food, salsa dancing, and lots of Spanish-speaking women hugging me in tears. These sweet girls are Nathaniel's cousins.

What's happening in your favorite "junkie moment" photo?

Always,

P.S.

Today is 11.11.11! We were engaged this week two years ago. We've been married for a year and five months, now...where has the time gone?!