NOW, AHEAD by THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER IN SINTRA

From a photo of the couple, among the guests, being showered with flower petals after the wedding ceremony at the Penha Longa Resort in Sintra

• Pode ler este artigo em Português. 

Petals in the Air and a Few Grains of Rice in Their Hair

It’s surely one of the most iconic photos taken at a wedding. The couple, after the “I do” and all the solemn vows, now free from the most anxious emotions, walk down the aisle that the guests have carefully formed — like ants, each one knowing their place and what to do to celebrate the couple who brought them there.

The wedding photographer is a witness — it’s already a very different moment from when the couple walked the same path in the opposite direction. Now it’s done, this was what they wanted, and at the end of that aisle, there’s nothing left but celebration. It’s the aisle of the future and beyond, like they used to say in an animated movie.
Of course, the petals in the air, a few grains of rice stuck in their hair, and those smiles of fulfilled purpose give it all a sense of authenticity and a guarantee that this scene was no movie.

Photographs with meaning and authenticity

Symbolically, it’s from this point onward that a shared life begins to unfold, one that is hoped to be long and joyful. This is what the newlyweds want, what those who stood with them and witnessed the moment wish, and what the wedding photographer hopes for — who is not there just for business. He is also a human being who feels. Only like that can the photographs captured have meaning and be genuine. They cannot be just a product of camera electronics.

Point by point:

• There are two iconic moments in a wedding day, both for their symbolism and for the challenge they present to the photographer:
  ◦ The bride’s entrance to the wedding ceremony
  ◦ The couple’s exit from the ceremony
• That aisle, which the guests know so well how to create, is walked by the couple brimming with happiness.
• The grains of rice and petals showering them are like a rain of love from those who care about them.
• From the end of that aisle onward, the couple begins their shared path, and the photographs the wedding photographer takes will remind them they were surrounded by deep joy.

You need to know:

• When the photograph I take of the couple on this short but deeply symbolic path becomes the icon of their day — one they’ll proudly show in the wedding album I designed for them — I, too, feel a strong sense of emotion and happiness. For me, it’s a point of honor to capture that image: the couple, the guests, the rice, the flowers. Love.

When you step back out into the daylight, exiting the church, or turn to walk the other way at a civil ceremony, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. And afterward, whenever you want, the photographs I take at that moment will help you revisit your happiness as often as you like. Schedule a meeting so we can talk, answer any questions you may have, and I can show you many more photos. I’ll be waiting for you.

• In Penha Longa Resort in Sintra.