Erin & Indy

Photo by Lyndsey Goddard

Hi Lyndsey, Hopefully you're not too frazzled after your marathon weekend of weddings. I meant to say some of this when we saw you at Claire and Elliott's wedding, but didn't really get the chance. In a nutshell I just wanted to say thank you properly for photographing our wedding. Erin and I never seem to have it easy, I'd say we've had more than our fair share of things going wrong since we got together. But the last few months have been the hardest by a long way. It's only since Erin's dad died that I've come to fully understand just how much he meant to Erin, and how much she's always worshipped and idolised him. She's still coming to terms with the loss, while at the same time unconsciously assuming his role in the family- sorting out all the practical problems since his death, and being the voice of reason when there's a difference of opinion even while she tries to grieve. I sort of sit at the sidelines, and I can see she is the best of what her dad was, which is something I don't think she'll ever really appreciate. But then her dad was too unassuming to ever recognise his own importance too. Personally, I was always slightly nervous around him, the way many guys are around the father of the love of their life. Not that he did anything to warrant my edginess, it was just that he was always so capable and knowledgeable- the first person you'd want in a crisis. I looked forward to getting to know him better, to fix an old car up with him, or work with him fixing up our first house. None of that is meant to make you feel bad, or sorry for us- we're a solid and otherwise happy couple, and I know we'll endure this and anything else that life throws at us. The reason I'm saying it is so that you can maybe appreciate our gratitude for you agreeing to photograph our wedding. I know you already know, that just as your photography catches the mood and emotion of the day, so it also catches the thoughts and interactions of the people, and so shows people as they really are. Your photos really do show Brian as he was. One of Erin's favourite pictures of the day is that of her with her dad outside the registry office. It's like her aunt said recently- it doesn't just look like Brian, it's everything about him in a nutshell. The way he brought calm to Erin, the way he was always there for her while never being in the limelight. The way he was the perfect father to her. We talked at Elliott and Claire's wedding about how the photographs are the only physical thing that stays with you after you get married, and after the last few months the photos you took of Brian on the day have become even more important to Erin. Maybe another photographer could have taken pictures that showed the same thing, but then again maybe not. I don't know why you agreed to be our photographer- you no doubt would have had other requests offering more money closer to home. It sounds trite to say, but I really can't think of any greater act of kindness toward the two of us than yours. Reading back through the twaddle I've written, a lot of it sounds trite, but it is all true. So really, thank you. More than a silly email could say, thank you.