Mother's Day

Have you ever noticed that moms get a bad rap in the wedding world? Seriously, think about it for a second. If someone were to ask you what the first thing to enter your mind when you hear the words "mother" and "wedding" you'd probably be lying if you said anything other than the obvious: crazy. I get asked about it all the time. In fact, it's probably number two on the all-time list, right after "what's the worst thing that's ever happened at a wedding?" No one ever wants to know about the good things.

But the reality is--sorry to burst the bubble--that I get to meet some truly wonderful moms each week, with not a crazy bone in their body. Chris Bible, the mother of Audra Bielke, whose wedding to Tom Spouse I just photographed, is just such a mom. When Audra and Chris came to my Old Town studio a year ago we ended up chatting about so many things other than wedding photography. She was so genuinely interested in all of my photographs from 'The Lost' project that I was quite touched.

(This is not uncommon, by the way. When Dennis Yedwab and Blake Newmark came to meet with me a year before their wedding we ended up discussing the 1969 New York Mets more than we ever talked about timelines or retainers. Other favorite digressions: opera, travel, new Vietnamese restaurants, and dogs. Not to knock weddings, but sometimes its fun to talk about something other than the obvious.)




At Audra's wedding two weeks ago I could tell immediately that her interest had not waned. She was so excited about the reviews for 'The Lost' that I almost started feeling embarrassed. I think she must have mentioned the book to every guest that day. And let me state for the record that I was not hawking books! Chris, not to mention her brother, with whom I spoke at length, was just plain excited for us.

Yesterday, out of the blue, I received the following e-mail:

Dear Matt,

Now that Audra's wedding is over and things have settled down a bit, I want to let you know how much we enjoyed having your presence at the wedding. (Not to mention that we will undoubtedly enjoy the pictures you took as well.)

Last week at my book club I spoke of "The Lost" and one of the ladies there said she is reading it now and cannot put it down. After reading your website, I know that the response to the book continues to be very rewarding and exciting. I also found in reading your website postings that you are a very fine storyteller and writer yourself. Do you ever sleep--most of your postings are in the wee hours of the morning?

We spoke with Audra and Tom last week. They are in Tom's beloved Kenya and have seen some amazing things, including the great wildebeast migration through a river.

I can't wait to read "The Lost". I have already been touched by the Mendelsohn family and I thank you for that.

Looking so forward to the wedding pictures.

Regards,
Chris Bible, Mother of the Bride

What more can I say?

Matt

p.s. I wish I could tell you that the time stamp on my computer is out of whack, but, alas, it's true: the only time I have to do these posts in late at night.