08-29-2011
Both of my sons were married this month; their weddings were actually 13 days apart. It has been a whirlwind of planning, excitement, chaos and pure joy. At one point, I nicknamed August as “Two Weddings and a Funeral,” with the joke that these two events would likely knock somebody off. Fortunately, we all survived just fine. Now that the weddings are over, I’ve been reflecting on the collective meaning of these events.
Kenny and Jeff are 17 months apart in age, so they grew up together as best buddies. Many of the photos I took over the years show both of them doing things together. Reading. Playing. Traveling. Sports. Parties.
Even today, they consider each other as best friends, so naturally they were each others’ “Best Man” at the weddings. When Jeff gave his Best Man toast, he spoke about all the ways that he and Kenny shared events together, including sports, hobbies and even friends. When Kenny gave his Best Man toast, he spoke about the happiness he felt for Jeff; Kenny said he was the “second happiest man in the room”. I might have disagreed with him, but I’m willing to call it a draw.
As close as they are, they are also two very distinct people. They have different strengths, personalities and challenges. Their weddings and receptions were somewhat different, yet both events were joyous, authentic, and affirming. And in one big way, Kenny and Jeff have this in common: they are now married to terrific women.
As the Dad of these two amazing men, I had a ‘front row seat’ to this beautiful exchange of love, admiration and support between my sons. This has struck me as the best part of each wedding. We don’t always make it a point to say the things we need to say to those close to us. We get busy, we wait for a better moment, or we just forget how important it is. But these two weddings gave me the greatest gift of all – I watched my sons tell each other (and the world) about how much they cared for each other.
I feel so blessed and couldn’t ask for anything more.
(This entry has no photos to look at. This was intentional on my part. So, how does it relate to photography? I think photography is important as one way to keep our memories. It’s not the only way, and I don’t always need a camera to capture the moment. These moments will never fade for me.)
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Ron Nabity Photography 