I woke up this morning to a delightful post by one of our former brides:
Watch it here. ^
Wedding day priorities, according to mom.
My mother was big on priorities, and she'd list them like this: God, health, spouse, children, work. So how good a job, I wondered, do I do at applying these priorities to my own life, and specifically, on a wedding day?
I have to confess that when approaching a wedding day, my priorities look a little more like: cameras, lenses, lens wipes and covers, batteries, tripods, media cards, lights, mics and audio recorders, more batteries and chargers, headphones, water, comfortable shoes, comfortable clothes that are appropriate for a wedding, deodorant, mints, bandaids, location and timing details, a full tank of gas, a wrist watch, and if we're really on it, a select podcast queued up for the drive.
If God is in the details, maybe I'm not too far off. But truth is, once the wedding day is on, the only times I consciously pray may be for things like, "Please God let this battery last through the first dance." Clearly, I need to work on this. I do know that prepping ahead of time lets me feel more peaceful on the wedding day, and thankful, so that's a start. The next step might be to pray a quick, but sincere, wedding day prayer on the way out. I like something like this:
“God, help me to work smart today, to be alert to special moments, to be sensitive to the needs of those around me and to gracefully roll with the punches. Keep everyone safe in their travels today. Bless our couple and their families and help them to really be ‘in the moment’ during their vows, and throughout the day. ”
My wise mother, Jayne Adame, a still from her one-woman show in 2006 at El Paso's Plaza Theater.
#2: Health. Health on a wedding day is not only a priority, but critical to surviving the day. We've learned to pack water, and still we can never hydrate enough on a wedding day. Bringing quick snacks has saved us when there was no time to eat, even with the best intentions by our couple and planners. Good sleep and some semblance of fitness all help too. And comfortable shoes are a must. Happy feet = happy shots.
#3: Spouse. The last thing on my mind on a wedding day is my spouse, lol, but afterwards, I know Tom appreciates a phone call when we're on the way back. He appreciates the contribution to our bank account, as he is after all, our accountant. Truth is, he is the one who supports me on the wedding day. He knows our routine, and buys us water to pack, snacks to bring, and a full tank of gas for the road. From time to time, he has also shot a third camera, repaired our tripods, and configured gyro rigs. And he almost always has dinner in the oven when we return. Guess I'm pretty blessed on the spouse front.
Tom, our trusty accountant, and my sweet spouse, and me.
#4: Children. This is a trick priority on wedding days, because I work with my one and only son, my #1 son, Danny. On wedding days, I'm his co-worker not his mom. Any kindness I extend to Danny on a wedding day is self-motivated: The better he feels supported, the better his work, our work. And he knows the same is true for me. Maybe we can write a blog post another time on the keys to effective teamwork on wedding days. There's a lot of material that springs to mind.
#5: Work. Since work is what a wedding day is all about for us, our only priority is to to it to the best of our ability. Another blog post topic for another day.
What are your wedding day priorities? Feel free to comment here!