The worst had happened. It was my wedding day and my photographer was sick with covid. He sent his backup shooter instead. Things did not go well.

For background: I had spent a year planning my wedding, meticulously selecting everything from my entrance song to the dinner napkins. I’m a type-A control freak, and planning my wedding amplified that to the MAX. So when my photographer told me he tested positive for covid, I had a meltdown. Like a full-on panic attack, WHILE on the phone with him. He said he’d send his backup shooter, someone who worked with him regularly. I reluctantly agreed, mostly because I had no other choice. 

When I got my preview photos the next week, my heart sank so low I had to bend down to pick it up. The lighting wasn’t good. There was a weird blur effect going on. My husband and I looked stiff. I had spent a fat stack to capture the biggest day of my life, and I didn’t even want to post the pictures on Instagram. 

I asked my cousin to try to fix the photos in Photoshop. He did… his best. For months this bothered me. I would see other people’s wedding photos and feel so much regret and pain about my own. When I got the full set of photos I didn’t even want to look at them. 

Then a friend asked why I didn’t just “re-shoot” them. My first reaction was: What? That’s a thing? I couldn’t imagine getting that dressed up again, with the heavy lehenga, the dupatta, the hair and the makeup. I was sure my husband never wanted to wear his sherwani again. But, the more I thought about it, the more I wondered… why the hell not?

Was I putting too much emphasis on the photos, and not enough on how lovely my actual wedding was? Probably. I knew that, but in the age of Instagram, it just felt like I didn’t have THE THING that I was supposed to have after my wedding. And to be honest, I wanted it. And PSA—that’s okay!

My husband and I re-shot our wedding photos with the original photographer we hired and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Since the shoot was months after the wedding, we were more well-rested and actually had fun during the session. The photos came out beautifully, and I feel like they reflect how I felt during my wedding, even if they weren’t taken on that day.

Now, I tell all my friends to schedule their couple shoot before or after their actual wedding. It takes so much of the stress out of the shoot, and allows for rescheduling if covid or weather or something else decides to ruin your plans. I also tell them that it’s okay to want beautiful pictures for the gram, but to keep in mind that wedding photos are about capturing the beginning. The hope, the love, and the excitement you feel about the next chapter of your life. 

love,

Type A Bride