This is a glimpse into the intimate world of women: candid pictures taken in those last few hours of preparation, as the bride is fussed over by a private circle of female friends and family, before she takes that big step into matrimony.
For some brides, the moment before they walk down the aisle is like a fairy-tale they have waited for since childhood. A grandmother’s gnarled hands smooth a veil; a younger sister devotedly applies her older sister’s make-up; bridesmaids giggle and tease. For some brides it is an almost tortuous time of dashed hopes, exasperation, and loneliness. Amidst a tangle of tulle there’s a grimace of fear; a bride dons her dress alone; the clench of a corset; a swig of champagne to calm nerves. In these intense and intimate moments, the camera finds these women coy, determined, funny, sensual, clumsy, frantic, silly, trashy, contemplative and more.
I bring my skills as a photojournalist to wedding photography and cover these events as a visual narrative, creating very singular day-in-the-life documentaries. I have photographed over 350 weddings and the women in this collection of photographs vary in ages, ethnicities and religion, and include gay and straight brides. The locations range from an English manor home to a trendy salon, a Las Vegas chapel to an urban studio apartment, from fashionable hotels to sparse function hall rooms and chic country estates to historic reconverted warehouses.
